Battle of the Tensais!
by LittleSnowDancer
Summary: Chapter 29 Up! Seigaku’s Tennis Prodigy. Hasegawa Reiko. The new student who seems to be a genius herself. What happens when you put the sadistic and the short-tempered together? Wait, what's Tezuka doing in the picture?
1. Seigaku is anything BUT ordinary!

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This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!**

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**Disclaimer**

Prince of Tennis and all it's original characters are by Takeshi Konomi. However, the plot of "Battle of the Tensais" is mine.

To avoid future disputes, I already disown whatever unoriginal material is in the story. Don't sue me 'coz you won't get a dime. Although, I will sue you if I find my work being plagiarised. (Kidding, but asking is highly appreciated!)

_This disclaimer applies to all chapters to save me from 'copy' and 'pasting' it at every time._**  
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**Author's Notes **

I write for the sake of relieving stress from authors who take ages to update and also to prevent myself from boredom. Don't be surprised at how quickly my character's personality 'evolves' after the first chapter, it's all part of the story.

No, MY OC will not be a sue, I just made her look nice in the first chapter to get her "properly acquainted"-- like it says down the summary. Same goes with my other OC's. Everyone's character "evolves" in the story.

**Summary**

What do you get when you chuck Seigaku's resident, sadistic tensai and a 'pranktastic', short-tempered new transfer student together? Complete mayhem and utter chaos! Pranks get better in later chapters, let's take it easy on the first one to get everyone "properly acquainted".

Regular Text-- Includes spoken lines and narration.

// Character Thoughts //

**Bold Text-- Setting**

_Indented text-- Flashbacks_

Happy Reading!

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**Chapter 1**

Seigaku is anything BUT ordinary

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**--Seishun Gakuen Middle School (a.k.a. Seigaku)--**

It was a bright Monday morning and the first day back from summer vacation at Seishun Gakuen Middle School. The large school grounds were bustling with students, some busy catching up with one another, others gossiping, teachers already looking for fresh blood—looking out for students who violated school policy. With the busy atmosphere, no one had noticed a raven-haired girl wander around the vast school grounds, a confused look etched on her face.

// Administration... Administration... Administration... Argh! Did this school have to be so damn huge? // The pallid raven-haired girl inwardly cursed, looking at all four directions for the Administrator's Office. Her lips then hatched a smile after finally spotting what she searched for.

"There it is!" The girl exclaimed excitedly after she spotted the sign that read 'Administration', on top of a brown, oak door, she assumed, led to the place she'd been roving for. She kept her gaze stuck to the sign, as if it was a sacred symbol sent by God himself, like a mirage she was afraid she'll lose in a blink of a second. She was so occupied in trying to keep her eyes glued to the sign that she failed to take heed of where she was going.

BANG!

The girl found herself crashing on the ground, instantly realizing she had collided with an innocent bystander.

"Are you alright?" She heard a deep, feminine, voice ask while a fair-skinned hand came into view. She firmly gripped the outstretched hand and left the stranger to sustain her weight as she propped herself up.

"Itai..." The raven-haired girl muttered in pain without looking up. Rubbing the back of her head, she apologised. "Gomen ne. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" The girl bowed apologetically.

"There's no need for an apology, I didn't think you were paying attention when I saw you closing in like that. I didn't really attempt to move so it's not entirely your fault." The velvet voice sounded relieved upon learning that the girl was not badly injured from her fall.

For the first time throughout the entire conversation, the pale girl finally looked up. She saw a person, not quite sure if boy or girl, with honey-brown hair, and a fairly average height eyeing her with a smile. She noticed the slit for eyes she presumed was caused by smiling and was immediately curious.

"You saw me?" She questioned, still skeptical of how the boy/girl managed to see her with closed eyes.

"Pardon?" The person asked, not quite sure he/she heard her right. The girl blushed as she realized that she had asked the question out loud.

"Are you, by any chance, a new student? I don't think I've seen you around here before." The stranger asked, inspecting the new face before him. Despite the question, there was a slight inclination that he/she had come across the face before. When the person realized he/she couldn't point a finger at who, he/she decided to shrug the feeling off.

"Hai. I'm Hasegawa Reiko. I'm a new transfer student. Hajimemashite." The girl curtly, yet politely, introduced herself.

// Have I seen this person before? // She contemplated while fully scrutinizing the stranger.

// Naaah. A lot of people have brown hair_. _// She told herself.

// Is he even a boy? He's wearing the boys' uniform… //She asked herself, perplexed by the stranger's actual gender.

"Souka. Then I'm F—" The smiling boy—she assumed—was interrupted by a deafening ringing bell. "Yoroshiku Hasegawa-san. That was the first bell. If you don't mind, I'll go ahead. I still have a meeting to attend to. And the consequences of being late are rather..." He paused to think the right word.

"Dreadful." That said, the boy abruptly bid the raven-haired girl goodbye, leaving her to wonder if he really was a boy.

// Must be. No curves. // The girl mentally laughed at how she was actually confused by the sexual category the stranger belonged to. // His physique was too straight, front view, side view, or rear view; he was too FLAT. //

"Ah! I'm gonna be late as well if I don't get to administration soon!"

She hurriedly walked to the administrator's office, finally remembering what she initially meant to do. As she stepped inside the room, she was greeted by a warm 'hello' from a plump, middle-aged woman wearing a white blouse and long pink skirt. She assumed she was in her mid 30's by the amount of creases on her forehead.

"Ah... You must be Hasegawa Reiko, the new transferee. I'm Ishida Miyako, the school administrator. You can call me Miyako-sensei." The woman introduced, her warm smile never once faltered.

// This school is so... freakily welcoming... // She thought, forcing a polite smile to respond to the administrator's. She patiently watched as the older woman took an A4-sized brown envelope from her desk.

"Then Hasegawa-san, this contains everything you need to get settled in. You will find your school I.D., timetable and planner inside. You'll be in class 3-6 which is in the left wing of this building, fourth floor. You best hurry or you'll be late for class." Miyako-sensei rapidly instructed, yet she still had that friendly tone in her voice.

"I think I just heard the second bell ring." The elder woman reminded, hinting the raven-haired girl to hurry.

"Arigato Miyako-sensei. I better get going then!" The new girl thanked the administrator a final time, bade her goodbye, before heading out door.

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She found it easy to get to her assigned classroom with the directions Miyako-sensei gave her. Now, Hasegawa Reiko was standing just outside class 3-6, nerves making her hands shake as she heard a masculine voice, she assumed to be the homeroom teacher, speaking from the inside.

"Class, I welcome you back to the new term. I hope you all enjoyed the summer break. Do remember that we _are_ back to school, slacking off will not be taken lightly." Seeing a shadow behind the door, the teacher ended his reminders and headed for it.

"Before I forget, we have a new student who will be joining us." He slid the door open and motioned a pale girl to come in.

Everyone looked on with curiosity as a person emerged from behind the doorway. The class saw a girl with glossy black shoulder length hair, a fringe dangling just below her eyes. Her height was slightly above the average for girls their age, about 160 cm. Although her skin was of pasty white, it was without blemish. She had a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks, possibly from feeling embarrassed by standing in front of a room of inquisitive teenagers. Her eyes were concealed by the perpetually shimmering black spectacles that sat comfortably on the bridge of her nose, and she was biting the corner of her bottom lip.

"Everyone this is Hasegawa Reiko, she's a transfer student from Osaka. I hope you'll all treat her well. Hasegawa-san, would you mind giving the class a brief introduction?" She heard the teacher ask.

"I'm Hasegawa Reiko, the new transfer student from Osaka, dozo yoroshiku."

She smiled and bowed politely. She felt her pulse race as she looked up to see all her new classmates' attentions on her. She heard the class giggle and saw one student with red hair and a plaster on his cheek raise his hand.

"Yes?" She asked, slightly confused by the class' minor outburst.

"Nya! We already know your name and that you're a transfer student from Osaka from sensei..." said the guy innocently. The class finally erupted into laughter. He looked at his classmates questioningly. Inside he wondered if he had said anything funny before continuing.

"Anyway, would you mind telling us more about you?" He asked, his large, curious navy eyes pleading to the bespectacled girl.

"Ah... Sumimasen... Anou... As you know I'm Hasegawa Reiko..." Everyone snickered while Reiko too, smiled. She felt herself slightly ease up as she realized she had just stated her name for the third time.

"My family and I had just moved to Tokyo a few weeks ago. I am turning 15 on May 22nd. I'm an only child. I own a dog named Krypto. I enjoy playing badminton and... my favourite fruit is Lemon."

Everyone had horrified expressions on their faces upon hearing the new girl say 'lemon'. What kind of person would eat a lemon casually? Their thoughts were interrupted as they heard the her speak up again.

"As for the reason behind my moving to this school..." She thought for a moment before continuing. She noticed her new classmates were aching to hear what she had to say, their leaning forward was a clear indication. "This is the closest school to our new house." She finished. She looked up to find that everyone had fallen off their seats. She was then taken aback by a hand that flew up in the air.

"Yes?" The bespectacled girl addressed the same red-headed student who asked her the earlier question.

"Nya! I'm Kikumaru Eiji! You can call me Eiji, Rei-chan!" The bouncy redhead beamed.

She felt a chill run down her spine after hearing the instant nickname this Kikumaru person had just given her.

// Is he naturally this cheeky? // She thought to herself as she forced an awkward smile on her face and nodded at the bouncy redhead.

Noticing the expression on his new student's face, Kawasaki-sensei faked a cough to interrupt his hyper-active student.

"Okay class, let's not give Hasegawa-san here a culture-shock." He turned to Reiko and reassured her with a smile before turning his attention back to the class.

"Ah! Fuji, raise your hand." He instructed. Reiko flushed upon seeing the familiar smiling face that belonged to the person she earlier collided with.

"You can take the empty desk next to Fuji-kun, Hasegawa-san." Kawasaki-sensei directed before averting his attention back to the class. Reiko gave a polite nod and started walking to her seat.

"Okay. Now that's settled, I'll be off to my English class. I trust you all to behave yourselves while waiting for Sato-sensei." He turned to leave, but noticed his class in a state of catatonic shock, like he'd just announced the world will end within 5 seconds.

"What? Didn't you all look at your new timetables? You have Maths first period on Mondays!" Kawasaki-sensei sighed before exiting the classroom, all the while thinking of how the summer heat had fried his students' brains to crisps.

"Saa... We meet again Hasegawa-san." The honey-haired boy greeted the new girl, still smiling.

// Did someone stick that smile up his face? It's really starting to freak me out. // thought Reiko as she sat on her designated seat. Her thoughts were interrupted by the boisterous redhead who had given her the instant nickname.

"Hoi! Fujiko! You've met Rei-chan already?! That's not fair!" Kikumaru whined, poking Fuji at the rate of 360 jabs per second.

"Ne Eiji? Do you know what happens when you poke something endlessly?" Fuji asked his hyped-up friend, his smile turning eerily suspicious.

"Nani Fujiko?" replied the wondering Kikumaru as he stared at Fuji with his big inquiring eyes.

"Your finger will get so worn out that it will shrink to the length of a centimetre." Fuji answered casually, although Reiko noticed that the sadistic smile on his face had grown wider when Kikumaru stopped his 'poke-a-thon' to let out a terrified yelp.

"NYA! That was mean Fujiko! Demo... Is it true?" Kikumaru asked warily. He was never answered as the classroom door suddenly slid open.

"KIKUMARU EIJI! I can hear your voice from 10 miles away! Keep in mind that you are in a school and no longer in the circus."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the creature that had just entered their classroom. They turned their attention to a small, frail man with two strands of hair left on his bald, shiny head. He wore thick, black glasses that did not go too well with his thick, bushy eyebrows. Currently he was stroking the hair on the big, exaggeratedly fat mole, positioned slightly below his lip. The horror everyone called...

"NYA! ITS THE MOOOOOLE!" Kikumaru cried in fear, not realizing he'd just dug his own grave.

Reiko felt cold sweat run down her spine as she watched the scene unfold before her.

"KIKUMARU EIJI! To the principal's office! NOW!" yelled the infuriated Maths teacher as he sent the redhead to the principal's office to get a week's worth of lunchtime detentions.

"Observation# 1: Seishun Gakuen is not your ordinary middle school." The bespectacled girl noted, warily sitting down to officially begin her first class in her new school. She looked over at the brown-haired boy who she has now mentally established as 'Fuji', and felt the hair on her back rise as she heard him say—with the perpetually sadistic smile on his face—

"Welcome to Seigaku. Hasegawa-san."

**--**

Reiko's first few classes had gone well. All except her first one. MATHS. It was not that she was bad at the subject, it was the fact that Sato-sensei deliberately wanted to keep a terrorist image among all his students. Adding to that, his humongous, hairy mole and shrill, condescending voice—that by the way cracked every three words—made it hard to pay attention to the lesson. If the two said traits weren't enough to make a student lose concentration, the fact that he has really bushy eyebrows positioned atop really thick glasses certainly did the trick.

_Flashback_

_Sato-sensei felt a vein pop up on his forehead after hearing the nickname Kikumaru had called him. Fuming, he sent the redhead to the principal's office to get the punishment he deserved. No, Sato-sensei does not appreciate being aggravated so early in the morning._

"_Class, take your books out and open it to page 245." he commanded, his voice cracking at every third word. Maths had finally begun._

_After a few minutes of discussion, Sato-sensei started writing an anti-differentiation equation on the board. Just as he was about to turn around to spot his first victim—student—to answer the question..._

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

_Timing would have never been more perfect, as a mobile phone with the "Psycho" theme music started ringing inside the eerily quiet classroom._

_Everyone stiffened as Sato-sensei turned around, face red and almost steaming. He did not appreciate being distracted when picking out his prey—student. He found the infernal sound coming from the back and saw a new student shut her phone off._

_/__/ Fresh Blood. // He thought maniacally while calling the new girl's attention._

"_You! New student! How dare you disrupt my class? You should know better than to disobey school rules on your first day!" Reiko stiffened as she realized that Sato-sensei had caught her._

"_Anou... S-Sumimasen S-Sato S-Sensei!" The bespectacled girl apologised nervously._

"_Che... Seeing that you're new, I'll give you a chance to change my opinion of you. If you answer the question on the board correctly, I shall let you off."_

_Reiko looked at the question on the board and was relieved to see that it was only an anti-differentiation question. Although it was a topic set for the next class, Reiko had already learned it after having just answered the following three chapters while Sato-sensei was busy droning._

"_Hai!" Reiko said eagerly, intent on erasing the bad impression Sato-sensei already had on her._

_Fuji's brows arced in surprise before smiling sadistically, that girl wouldn't recognize danger if it stared her in the face.  
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_When she finished answering the question on the board-effortlessly-she heard the class clapping and so looked over to Sato-sensei's direction. His face had turned tomato red and steam was literally coming out of his ears. It also seemed as though the hair on his mole had stiffened. Clearly a reaction she did not expect._

"_TO YOUR SEAT! NOW!" Sato-sensei screamed furiously startling a bewildered Reiko as she dashed to her seat upon command. No, Sato-sensei does not appreciate being showed up as well._

_The class had stiffened yet again and an uncomfortable silence took over the rest of the 3-6 Maths class._

_End of Flashback_

Reiko shuddered as she remembered the Maths class _in_ hell earlier. She couldn't wait till the bell rang for lunch. She was pulled from her thoughts when her new seatmate, who still had the—now annoying—smile on his face, called her.

"Ne Hasegawa-san... That was an interesting ringtone." Fuji whispered as his smile changed into a more disturbing one.

"It's my mom's personal ringtone..." She stated, her eyes starting to twitch behind her glasses due to the smile Fuji was giving her.

"Nya! What ringtone Fujiko? Did I miss anything?" Kikumaru interrupted as he sat down on the chair in front Fuji's. He had purposely taken his time to miss the whole first period to avoid the terror that is Sato-sensei.

"Saa... You missed quite a show Eiji. Hasegawa-san here just showed Sato-sensei up." Fuji replied, the sinister smile on his face wide and sparkling.

"NYA! SUGOI REI-CHAN!" The redhead's eyes grew into saucers upon hearing what his friend had just said. Showing Sato-sensei up took guts, and the girl proved to have it. He gave her his trademark hug of death—er, Kikumaru hug.

"E-Eiji! C-can't breathe!" Reiko wheezed as she tried to escape from the embrace-cum-headlock Kikumaru was giving her. She could've sworn she had turned blue for a few seconds. She could've also attest to seeing Fuji's sadistic smile stretch wider upon seeing her sentenced to Kikumaru's embrace.

"Fuji! You set that up!" She pointedly accused, albeit struggling under the literally 'breath-taking' Kikumaru Hug.

Their Chemistry teacher was just about to reprimand her for distracting the class when the lunch bell rang. Everyone made a mad dash out of the room, leaving another angered teacher with a tick on her forehead. Talk about saved by the bell.

"E-Eiji, c-can you let go before you kill me?" Reiko gagged, praying she would get loose before she suffocated to death.

"Nya? AHHH! Rei-chan!! What happened to your face? It's purple! NYAA!!" Kikumaru exclaimed, shocked as he abruptly let the asphyxiating girl go. Reiko breathed, like she'd never done before.

"I wonder why Eiji-kun, I wonder why." Reiko said sarcastically, giving Fuji a death glare thereafter.

Fuji merely gave her an innocent look before deciding to speak. "Ne Hasegawa-san, I believe I haven't formally introduced myself. I'm Fuji Syuusuke" He acquainted, flashing the raven-haired girl a smile that did not implicate anything suspicious.

"Really, there isn't a need for a formal introduction Fuji-kun. I think I know you well enough already." Reiko stated dryly while fixing her things to get ready to leave.

// Fuji Syuusuke, 100 percent evil. Purely sadistic. // She mentally jotted the information down in her little black book before standing up.

"Ne Eiji-kun..." She began whilst walking to the door. "I'm sure Fuji-kun is just dying to tell you about everything that's happened during our Math."

With that, Reiko turned to leave an extremely curious, sugar-high, poke-happy Kikumaru with a slightly surprised Fuji.

"Is this a challenge?" She heard an amused Fuji ask. She turned around to see a haughty smirk on his face.

"This is merely payback Fuji-kun." She riposted, waving him off without sparing him a look. // Two can play this game Fuji Syuusuke. // She sneered inwardly, taking his challenge.

"Saa... We're only getting started Ha-se-ga-wa-chan." Reiko shuddered at how Fuji had addressed her. She contemplated what she'd just done and looked back to see Fuji still smiling at her with his disturbingly sadistic smile, Kikumaru egging him to spill the details on what happened during their Maths class, poking him non-stop to pressure him into caving.

// Maa... I guess all I can say now is bring it on Fuji Syuusuke, bring it on! //

**Fuji 1- Hasegawa 1 **

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**Author's Note:**

How'd you find it? I'd appreciate some feedback! Short chapter ahead! May include making new friends and Jenga bentos!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	2. New Friends and Jenga Bentos!

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This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!

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**Author's Note:**

Short chapter ahead! I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!

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**Chapter 2**

New Friends and 'Jenga Bentos'

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--**Monday Lunch time--**

Whilst sucking on a lemon, Reiko wandered around the grounds of Seishun Gakuen curiously that lunch time. Getting bored, she decided to head out to the garden to eat her packed lunch. She spotted a bench under a shady tree and decided to go eat her lunch there when she was abruptly called by a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a girl slightly shorter than her with wavy mahogany hair. She noted how her fringe accented her round face perfectly and how her deep brown eyes complimented her features well. She was beautiful.

"Hasegawa-san?" The brown-haired girl called, looking uncertain as she addressed the mesmerized raven.

Although the gleaming glasses ensured her eyes were well-hidden, the brunette knew Reiko was staring from the ogling expression on her face.

"Um… Is there anything on my face?" The girl asked.

"Ah... Sorry if I was staring. Can I help you?" Reiko apologized, realizing her weighty stare made the stranger feel uncomfortable.

"It's fine. I saw you walking by yourself so I thought I'd invite you to eat lunch with me and my friend." The brunette flashed an inviting smile, so contagious that the Reiko couldn't help but return it.

"That'd be great. Thank you…" she trailed, realizing she did not know the girl's name.

"Takano Ayumi, Yumi is fine though. We're in the same class." The girl informed.

"Yoroshiku Yumi-chan, you can call me Reiko." The raven bowed and smiled as she acquainted herself with the said classmate.

"Then, shall we go Reiko-chan? My friend and I were going to eat lunch just under that tree over there." Ayumi pointed to the shady tree Reiko herself was vying for. They'd both noticed that the once empty bench was now occupied by another person.

Reaching their destination, Reiko realized the figure belonged to another girl. She possessed the most striking hazel eyes the pale girl had ever come across; mesmerizing and somewhat translucent, as if you would see her soul with one look into her eyes. Her hair was a lighter shade of brown, much similar to that of their sadistic classmate. Not being able to resist, the raven cringed upon the image of the said boy she'd just pictured in her head. Shaking the unwanted thought away, she smiled and bowed politely when the girl with the striking eyes acknowledged her presence.

"Ah! Chiharu-chan you're here! You remember Hasegawa Reiko-chan from class?" said Ayumi.

"Who wouldn't? After what she did to Sato-sensei? You're turning out to be quite the legend already, Hasegawa-san." Chiharu greeted, not failing to flash the bespectacled girl a warm smile.

"Ah! I didn't mean to. I really just wanted to make a good first impression." Reiko defended.

The two girls laughed in chorus.

"Well, I think you pretty much failed at that." Ayumi joked, patting Reiko's back as she mentally recalled the events of her recent Maths class.

"Don't worry about it too much Reiko-chan, you'll get used to him... sort of." Chiharu reassured, giggling at the fact that getting used to 'terrorist teachers' was a way of life at Seigaku.

"By the way, I'm Haruto Chiharu. Yoroshiku!" The hazel-eyed girl formally introduced.

After the introductions, the trio proceeded to eating their lunches and of course, getting to know more about the new student. The raven was inwardly relieved she did not have to labour over making friends. Whilst chatting, a mention of the earlier collision and the sparked rivalry between the raven-haired girl and the school's resident tensai suddenly piqued the two girls' curiosity.

"No way! You didn't faint? Or drool even? Not even a swoon?" Ayumi skeptically asked, obviously surprised at her new friend's immunity to the famous Fuji Syuusuke's charm.

"Then again, I guess that's a good thing. The school doesn't need any more fan girls… like someone I know." Ayumi said pointedly, rolling her eyes before locking them on Chiharu, whose striking eyes grew wide as saucers upon hearing the comment.

"What? Don't tell me you don't think Fuji-kun is hot?" Chiharu objected defensively. "Besides, that was so freshman year! I'm not like _them_ anymore." She added.

"Like _them_?" Reiko asked, curious at who this 'them' her new friends were referring to.

"Fuji brigade." Ayumi and Chiharu both answered flatly.

"Fu-ji Bri-gade? He has a fan club?! That sadist?!" Reiko exclaimed, shocked that a person with such a disturbing personality would even have friends, let alone a fan club.

"Wow... you really are weird. But, you have to admit he _is_ good looking right? Not to mention talented. Did you know he's considered as this school's 'tensai'?" Chiharu said dreamily in an attempt to justify her days as a fan-girl.

"She's going on fan-girl mode again! OI!" Ayumi waved her hand in front of the now dazed Chiharu's face.

Deciding it was hopeless, Ayumi left Chiharu in her own world as she turned her attention to the new girl, whose face had now turned blue.

"Ne Reiko-chan? What's wrong?" Ayumi asked worriedly. All she got was...

"Tensai... Tensai... Tensai..." Behind the mysterious spectacles, Reiko's eyes twitched uncontrollably. She mumbled the word 'tensai' mindlessly as her brain processed the fact that she had just picked the most dangerous person to mess with, on her first day of school.

// I just made enemies with the devil. Is it too late to back off now? //

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The trio arrived the classroom with 5 minutes left of lunch. The raven-haired girl started walking towards her seat, stopping abruptly when she noticed a heaping mass of bentos stacked on top of her desk... and a higher stack on her seatmate's. Finding the inch of his honey-brown hair protruded over the pile of lunches, she felt her blood start boiling. Abhorring the idea of her desk being turned into a dumpsite, she charged to her seat seething. She picked up a bento and read the note attached to it, all the while breathing through gritted teeth.

"_To Fuji-kun, _

_I made this to show my undying love for you. _

_XOXOXO _

_Your future wife." _

Reiko felt her eye twitch and a vein pop on her forehead. That had been happening a lot since having transferred.

"FUJI TEME!" She fumed. "Why the hell are all these bentos on my desk?!" She demanded, fuming.

The said boy slowly looked up from his book. "Ne Hasegawa-san, would you like one?" Fuji asked innocently, his effervescent smile only adding more fuel to the incensed girl's blazing anger.

"I already ate the one onee-san made. Gluttony is a deadly sin and I'm afraid I might get bloated if I eat anymore." He continued, a mocking smile spreading wide across his face.

Suddenly, all females within a 2 mile radius, and all the girls that were exceptionally perceptive to the brown-haired boy's voice, charged through the nearest toilets, shattered and in tears.

"No thank you. Besides, someone might have put aphrodisiac in one of these."

The fair-haired boy heard the retort and chuckled heartily at a mental image of his seatmate falling crazily for the first person she set her eyes on. Now, if only Sato-sensei was anywhere near the area, aphrodesiac wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Saa... Suit yourself Hasegawa-san." Fuji said with a sly smile before resuming his reading

"Aren't you going to clean _this_ up?" Reiko asked, feeling the last of her 'patience' run out as she pointed to the pile on her desk. Strangely, after a second glance, the pile now seemed to resemble stacked Jenga blocks.

"Demo... If I do that, all this food would go to waste." Fuji wittily replied, not even bothering to spare the girl a look as his eyes remained glued to his book.

Reiko felt another vein pop on her forehead, but all too quickly, it was replaced by an eerily sadistic smile. Kikumaru Eiji had just entered the building.

"Ah! Eiji-kun! You made it just in time!" Reiko exclaimed in a repulsively excited tone.

"Hoi?" The redhead tilted his head quizzically, clueless to what the raven meant by 'just in time'.

"I was wondering... Do you like tempura?" Reiko tried hard to deliver the question with genuine innocence, although she was not able to avoid sneering upon seeing the redhead's cat-like eyes twinkle in delight. He nodded his head enthusiastically while Reiko fought the urge to cackle maniacally.

"That's good then! I'm allergic to shrimp so I can't eat the tempura bento there." Reiko paused to point to a packed lunch in the middle of the stack on top of Fuji's desk. She grinned dubiously after seeing Kikumaru salivate like a hungry hound.

"It's a shame if I throw it away, so I thought I'd ask you if you want it." Reiko finished. The sadistic grin on her face was now wide enough for all to see.

Fuji cautiously looked up from his book upon realizing what his new classmate had in mind.

"Eiji that's not—" The fair-haired boy tried to tame his friend but it was already too late. Kikumaru had already started charging towards the middle bento with the said 'tempura' in it.

CRASH! BANG! SPLAT!

Everyone's jaws dropped to the floor as they watched Kikumaru jump on top of Fuji's desk, knocking the stack of lunches over as he grabbed his treasured 'tempura' bento. All the girls, who had just returned from the ladies' room, looked in horror as they saw their precious 'Fuji-sama' covered in all ingredients that may as well make pig slop.

Reiko smiled triumphantly before finally taking her seat. Just then, their Social Studies teacher came in the classroom, unrolling a poster that read: 'Help Feed a Hungry Child. Help Rid the World of Poverty.'

Large beads of sweat appeared at the back of everyone's heads while their oblivious sensei cleared his throat to make an announcement.

"Money or dried goods are acceptable. Food is highly preferred." The teacher declared as he proceeded to write that day's lecture notes on the board.

// Fuji 1 - Hasegawa 2. BWAHAHAHAHA! // Reiko cackled mentally. // Who said anything about backing off? I'm just getting started! //

**--Later that day: Hasegawa Residence--  
**

"Woof! Woof!" An excited bark echoed through the halls of the Hasegawa residence. A huge, white, hound wagged its tail expectantly by the door.

"Tadaima!" Reiko called out as she came inside their new house. Seeing the oversized fluff ball that awaited her, she lovingly gave its head a pat.

"Ah! Reiko, you're home!" A middle aged woman, known to the raven as 'Mom', greeted. "How was school?" She inquired.

"Oh... It's definitely different from Osaka." Reiko's glasses gleamed suspiciously before flashing her mother a menacing smile

Disturbed, Mrs. Hasegawa felt her eye twitch.

--

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XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Note:**

The ending was lame, oh well. I've been itching to do something to Fuji's precious cacti. Weird fetishes ahead and Tezuka is coming into the picture! Stay tuned!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	3. Beware of Fuji

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This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!

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**Author's Note:**

Thank you for following Battle of the Tensais!

Happy Reading!

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Chapter 3

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**--Seigaku Class 3-6--**

The first few days of school went by quickly for Reiko. It had to, what with Seigaku's resident tensai lurking behind her all the time. Her newly proclaimed nemesis made it impossible for her to put her guard down. That alone took all of Reiko's time and concentration in school. Yes, Hasegawa Reiko knew better than to show signs of weakness. That was a lesson she learned the hard way.

_Flashback_

_It was history class. The sole subject Reiko loathed. It wasn't the teacher that bothered her so much, even though he did have a beard that seemed to be alive, growing 5 millimetres in length every 10 seconds. No, she despised it because she found the subject boring, not to mention she sucked at it. Why would anyone want to know about the life of some dead guy anyway? Sure he may or may not have discovered a country, big whoop! She couldn't grasp why they needed to learn about past events, despite the fact that it brought about the future that we call 'present'. _

_// A person who dwells on the past will never move on. // She thought distractedly, hence not noticing that their sensei had just asked if anyone in the class knew what event sparked the start of World War 2 in Europe._

_Fuji kept watch of his dazed seatmate and felt the light bulb in his head flicker on. Smiling, he raised his hand._

"_Ah! Fuji? Do you know the answer?" The teacher called; ecstatic upon learning at least one of his students paid attention._

"_No sensei..." Fuji started, pausing after seeing the instant disappointment on the heavily bearded teacher's face. _"_But I thought I heard Hasegawa-san say the answer just now." he retaliated, smiling at Reiko with sickening false innocence. Of course Reiko didn't heed to anything her teacher has said and thus, missed the question completely._

"_Yes Hasegawa?" The teacher asked while impatiently tapping his foot on the floor._

"_A-anou... What was the question again?" She felt herself flush in embarrassment. She glanced at Fuji and flashed him a murderous glare. The boy only smiled wider, satisfied by his deed._

"_What event led to the start of World War 2 in Europe?" The teacher asked, becoming more and more impatient._

"_A-ah..." She looked around for help after finding Kikumaru useless when he stared at her with a vacant expression._

_Then she heard her seatmate cough, his history book open, his face saying 'you-can-find-the-answer-here'. She sighed in relief, silently thanking God for saving her before focusing on the wide-open book to start reading the answer. Then her eyes began twitching as relief became subjugated by horror. She should've known better than to trust her sworn nemesis.  
_

_The book Fuji held was upside down._

_Reiko gave Fuji a piercing glare, while the latter only flashed her an 'I-thought-everyone-read-books-this-way' look. Reiko put her hand under her chin and posed as though she was thinking. She tilted—no, 'contorted' would be more befitting—her head to get a better angle to read. Everyone was horrified upon seeing her 'thinking position'. Reiko's head was tilted almost at an angle of a hundred and eighty degrees. It was like watching the 'Exorcism of Emily Rose' ala Hasegawa Reiko!  
_

"_World War 2 in Europe started in the year... 1636? 1939!" She began, while the other students snickered upon hearing the mistake._

"_It started when the Ger-m-mans invaded P-pol-pol-pol..." The word she was trying to read was positioned at the bottom-centre (Top and centre if right-side up) part of the page and so Reiko decided to tilt her head further until a resounding 'crack' was heard. The teacher's eye twitched and the colour from his face, hair, and beard drained. So it seems the history teacher becomes nauseous at the sound of bones cracking._

"_ITAI! AH! My neck! My neck! I can't tilt my head back!" Reiko panicked when she realized she couldn't bring her back to its normal position. The outburst suddenly became louder._

"_Sensei, I think she has a stiff neck!" Chiharu said worriedly. _

_The sensei regained consciousness after a few seconds and prompted Chiharu to assist her friend to the clinic to get some help with her neck. And they left with a hysterical class and a teacher whose beard had turned white._

"_Nya Fujiko! That was mean! Rei-chan could've broken her neck!" Kikumaru griped. The tennis prodigy merely gave the redhead an innocent look. Kikumaru could only shake his head and sigh. Sometimes his friend went too far._

_Fuji 2 - Hasegawa 2._

_End of Flashback_

"Ne Reiko-chan? Have you decided on which club you're going to join?" Ayumi asked, interrupting her friend who was currently absorbed by the book she was reading.

"Club?" Reiko paused from reading her book which read 'How to Kill a Guy in 10 Days' to look up and stare blankly at Ayumi.

"You _do_ know that you have to select a club for Extra-curricular right? By the way, where on earth did you get that book?" Chiharu asked, disturbed by the title on the cover.

A visible tick appeared on Ayumi's forehead. "You're butting in on others' conversations again Chiharu." Ayumi said, annoyed by her friend's bad habit of inviting herself to people's conversations. Chiharu made a face before looking at Reiko expectantly.

"Well... I haven't really thought about it. And I borrowed the book from the library this recess." Reiko casually replied before going back to her reading.

"Eh?!" Both of them exclaimed, shocked by their friend's lack of interest in choosing a club, and by their Library's book collection.

"What's the big deal anyway? It's only Extra-curricular? It's not like its compulsory..." Reiko said.

"Saa... That's right Hasegawa-san. It's not a big deal." Fuji said out of nowhere, also inviting himself to the conversation.

"Nya! Fujiko! How could you tell her that?! Of course it's a big deal!" Kikumaru chimed in, now he was in it too. "If you don't pick a club for Extra-curricular, you're stuck with the 'Mole' for an hour every Friday! NYA!" Kikumaru piped, grimacing at the thought of spending a whole hour with the said 'Mole'.

Reiko shuddered and saw her two girl friends staring into space.

Ayumi and Chiharu's POV:

// I wonder what he makes students do during that time? Probably asks them to help him pluck his eyebrows. Eugh! //

The two friends were convulsed by the thought. Just as they were about to say something, Kawasaki-sensei entered the room. It was time for English.

"Ah Reiko-san, being the new student, I just wanted to ask if you've selected a club for Extra-curricular yet?" Kawasaki-sensei inquired before starting the day's lesson.

The class turned to stare at Reiko expectantly.

"Anou... I haven't really thought about it. What clubs are there?" She enquired.

Everyone felt a large bead of sweat trickle down the back of their heads, on the other hand, Kawasaki-sensei's eyes twinkled in delight. Other than being the 3-6 homeroom teacher, Kawasaki-sensei is also the coordinator for Extra-curriculars, and just now, the raven-haired girl asked him his favourite question.

"Oh well... At least we won't be having a lesson today." Ayumi whispered to Chiharu, seeing Kawasaki-sensei was preparing to 'enumerate' _all _the possible club organisations Reiko could sign up with.

**--Half-way through English Class--**

"If you're the type who loves to be in the kitchen, there's the Cooking club. If you're hobby is sketching, painting or just plain doodling, there's always the Young Artists' Guild." Kawasaki-sensei enthusiastically itemised every single club, sounding horrendously like an advertisement on the Home Shopping Channel. The over-exuberant teacher was oblivious to the blank expression on Reiko's face, and to the fact that his whole class had fallen asleep.

"There is a lot to choose from, Ne Hasegawa-san?" Fuji whispered mockingly, his eternally sadistic smile effectively bringing the raven's patience to its limit.

Reiko groaned upon hearing all the clubs she could choose from. She stopped listing them down after club number 48. 'The Youth Mimes' Club'. Was it just her or did their school offer a club for every possible hobby there is?

"Anou... Kawasaki-sensei?" Reiko hesitantly called the attention of her Homeroom/English/Extra-curricular coordinator. Yes, Seigaku's board of directors is comprised of stingy people who are obviously obsessed with budgeting.

"Does the school have a badminton club?" She politely asked, interrupting Kawasaki-sensei before he could introduce the 'Thrill-seekers' club'.

"Hmm... Not that I know of Hasegawa. We do have a tennis club?" Kawasaki-sensei said, slightly embarrassed that their school had a club for people who bungee-jumped, but not a club for a popular sport such as badminton.

"Ahh..." Reiko noted in disappointment.

// They're both racquet sports? Should I consider it? // She contemplated, staring intently at the piece of paper her English teacher had given her. It was the school's 'Clubs Application' form. She stared at it a little longer before writing something down on the 'Chosen Club' section.

"I guess its okay, as long as it saves me from Sato-sensei." She read over the sheet once again before standing up to hand Kawasaki-sensei the application form.

Kawasaki-sensei glanced at the form Reiko had given him and smiled contently. "Good choice Hasegawa-san. Good choice". He commented as he found that Reiko had chosen the club the school was most recognized for.

_**Name**__: Hasegawa Reiko _

_**Form Group**__: Yr. 3-Class 6 _

_**Chosen Club**__: Seigaku Girls' Tennis Club _

**--Senior Faculty Room--**

After 'English Class', Kawasaki-sensei told Reiko to come to the faculty room to discuss the details regarding her chosen club. That explains why Hasegawa Reiko is now standing outside the Senior Faculty Room. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She came inside after hearing someone permit her entry.

She stiffened upon setting foot in the room, instnatly sensing the dead atmosphere surrounding it. All the teachers had dark scowls on their faces as they paced back and forth around the room like zombies.

She looked around for Kawasaki-sensei and found him glowing under the sole bright light in the room. She thought she heard a harp accompanied by angels singing 'Alleluia!' in the background when she finally spotted 'The Light of the Faculty Room'. She shook her head of the silly thoughts. Seeing Kawasaki-sensei as the only cheerful being made her imagination go crazy. Either that or too much T.V.

"Ah Hasegawa-san! Have a seat!" Kawasaki-sensei excitedly motioned his new student to sit down.

"So Hasegawa-san... the Tennis Club."

Reiko noticed how hard her sensei tried to sound casual as he began their 'talk'.

"Yup." She replied, popping the 'p'. "The tennis club." She confirmed.

"Do you mind if I ask why?" Kawasaki-sensei inquired, getting straight to the point. He had jumped to the conclusion that Hasegawa Reiko is not the type to join a club for its...'scenic privileges'... Of course, he had to make sure.

"Anou... I really meant to join a badminton club..." Reiko started and Kawasaki-sensei listened attentively while also hoping she wasn't going to say anything he dreaded.

"But since the school doesn't have one I guess I'll just have to make do with tennis. I figured its the next best thing since they're both racquet sports and since I've had _some_ experience with it." She shrugged her shoulders and wondered about the odd questions her English teacher was asking her. Inwardly she asked herself if they were screening questions.

Kawasaki-sensei sighed in relief after hearing the reason behind her decision. He was right about her after all. "I see. That's good to hear then. I do apologize for the school's lack of a badminton club this year. We used to have one, it was mainly dominated by the female students but they all shifted to the tennis club... For reasons... I am not... certain of..." The English teacher finished his statement awkwardly. He was never a good liar and concealing the truth came as a tough challenge. He knew why most of their female students transferred to the tennis club, but he did not want to give Reiko a bad impression of the school, considering she was new.

"Ah... That's too bad." Reiko's voice hinted disappointment. She was hoping to be able to train for badminton at school as well.

// I guess I'll have to make do with what I have. // She thought as she turned to look at Kawasaki-sensei who could only smile at her sentiment.

"Again, I apologize for the 'extinct' badminton club Hasegawa," Kawasaki-sensei apologised with an attempt for humour. "But I do hope you enjoy being in the tennis club, I'm sure it has its perks." He paused again to look at Reiko whom he saw nod before continuing.

"Now that's settled, I want you to meet up with the tennis coach after school today. Her name is Ryuzaki Sumire, you'll find her at the courts later today since the boys are having their first practice since break. I have already signed your application form, so don't forget to hand it to her." The buoyant teacher dismissed the bespectacled girl after handing her the application form.

"That is all for now, Hasegawa-san. I wish you the best of luck!" Kawasaki-sensei finished before turning to the pile of paperwork that had already started accumulating on his desk.

// I better start marking these if I want to be able to enjoy the next term break. // He sighed at the work he was left to do.

"Thank you for all the help, Kawasaki-sensei." Reiko thanked her homeroom teacher before bidding him goodbye and heading for the door.

She was taken aback when the door slid open before she could even grasp its handle. Apparently someone from the other side beat her to it. She couldn't help but blush at the sight of the person before her. Towering over her was a guy with dark brown hair. He impassively looked down at her with his deep brown eyes while a stern expression was etched on his handsome face. She took note of the rimless, oval, glasses that gave him an air of wisdom, and his well-toned physique, balancing intelligence and appearance.

"Excuse me." The stranger said in a deep, monotonous voice that made her knees feel weak. She unknowingly gave way but felt her legs wobble a little when she moved.

"Sumimasen sensei!" She apologised after gathering her thoughts, bowing down as she did so.

"Sensei?" The man asked in almost a whisper, as if addressing the question to himself. She looked up and blushed upon realizing the boy was wearing the Seigaku school uniform. He continued to eye her with an unfazed expression.

"Aa... I am not a teacher. Excuse me." He said in his baritone voice before ushering himself in, leaving a crimson Reiko by the door. She hastily stepped out of the faculty room and heard an uncharacteristically delighted Sato-sensei speaking before she left.

"Ah! Tezuka-kun! I'm glad you could make it!" Exclaimed the odd Maths teacher excitedly. Reiko saw what appeared to be a smile on the terrorist teacher's face as he stroked the single strand of hair on his mole.

She shuddered at the sight of her teacher but then blushed at the figure the grouch welcomed warmly.

"Tezuka-kun." She whispered and felt herself smile.

**--Friday Afternoon--**

The final bell rang to signal the end of the school day and everyone in class 3-6 eagerly dashed out of the classroom, leaving a dumbfounded history teacher, mouth half-open and eye twitching in annoyance while tumbleweed rolled past. The heavily bearded sensei sighed and turned to pack his things before walking out the door.

// Those ungrateful slackers. //

Reiko took her time and happily walked with her two friends to the tennis courts. The two were quick to volunteer themselves as guides after the bespectacled girl informed them of her decision in joining the girls' Tennis Club.

"That's great Reiko-chan! Now you can help stalk Oishi-kun and Inui-san!" exclaimed the excited Chiharu, her face occupied by a dreamy expression.

"What do you mean _stalk _Inui-san?!" Ayumi asked defensively, appalled by the idea of invading Inui's privacy. "For the umpteenth time Chiharu, I do not like Inui Sadaharu!" She denied, annoyed. Chiharu merely rolled her eyes while a confused look occupied Reiko's face.

"Chiharu? I thought you liked the sadist?" She asked, confused at her friend's sudden change of preference.

"Ahehehe..." Chiharu chuckled nervously. "Fuji-kun is all that, but he seems more of a... farfetched dream... Oishi-kun on the other hand..." Chiharu left it at that, a wistful sigh escaped her lips while a starry gaze lingered in her eyes.

They stopped when they heard the sound of bouncing balls, shrieking girls and hooting fans, and found that they had arrived at the school's Tennis Grounds. Reiko was instantly awed by the size of the school and the well maintained courts.

// What the—? Why are there so many people here? // She wondered after seeing the large crowd of cheering students swarming around the courts.

"The regulars are having their first practice since school break!" Chiharu announced excitedly, her eyes brightening as they walked closer to the courts.

After having participated in an intense training camp over the summer holidays, the Seigaku tennis club decided to take it easy during the first week back to school, and so decided to have their first practice session on a Friday. Today.

// I didn't know tennis was such a big thing in this school. // Reiko mused, still amazed by the size of the crowd. She abruptly left her thoughts when Ayumi pulled her towards what a nearby sign indicated as 'Court A'.

"It's a practice match between Inui-kun and Kawamuraa-san!" Ayumi exclaimed delighted as she blushed at the sight of Inui, the renowned data-tennis player of Seigaku.

"I wonder how good they've gotten. I heard they had special training in the mountains during the last two weeks of break." Ayumi was eager to see how much her 'eye-candy', the data-man of Seigaku, had improved.

"97 percent probability that you will drive to my left." Reiko heard a deep, calm voice declare. It came from one of the guys playing on Court A. She turned to the direction of the voice and found a tall, spiky-haired boy wearing similar looking glasses.

She was amazed by how accurate the 'megane' predicted his opponent's return. 'Megane' intercepted his opponent's drive with a cross-court net shot, earning himself a point.

"H-How did he-?" Reiko was unable to finish her question due to Ayumi's cutting her off.

"Inui Sadaharu from class 3-11, plays data-style tennis. He observes all his opponents' games and takes thorough notes on their playing style. He then simulates an imaginary game before a match, based on his gathered data. Like a scriptwriter writing a play." Ayumi said, her eyes failed to leave the data man.

"How'd she know all that?" Reiko asked, only to be answered by her hazel-eyed friend's giggling.

"She's a _'big fan'_." A grinning Chiharu stated. "Don't ask..."

Again, the manga visual convention for awkward situations, commonly known as the Sweat Drop, appeared at the back of the raven's head.

// So he is her 'alleged' object of interest. // She thought, smiling slyly at her friend. Ayumi didn't seem to notice as she was far too captivated by the game. Reiko pulled herself together and remembered why she was in the tennis grounds in the first place.

"Guys, I have to go find Ryuzaki-sensei. You don't need to wait up." The bespectacled girl left her two friends to watch their game, but before she could leave to look for the tennis coach, she heard a desperate cry from court A.

"OH NO! You're more accurate than ever Inui!" A boisterous voice cried in horrendous English. "I'll show you! BURNING! COME ON BABY!"

The crowd erupted in laughter after seeing the fired-up boy with the thick sideburns show frustration from being Inui's puppet.

Meanwhile, Reiko had a hard time looking for Ryuzaki-sensei. She did not expect the tennis grounds to be so huge, and the large crowd only made it harder. She spotted a spiky haired boy and a short kid with a cap standing a few metres from where she was. The kid with the hat was holding a red tennis racquet and the spiky haired boy was wearing a "Seigaku Tennis Club" jacket. She thought those were good enough signs to assume the two belonged to the tennis team and so headed towards them.

"Ne Echizen, they seem to have gotten better over the break. I don't think I wanna play them." The taller of the two said, albeit sounding more excited than scared.

"Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai..." came the impassive reply from the boy with the hat, who was presumably a freshman.

"Jeez! Echizen, you should really start treating me like your senior." The taller boy griped, annoyed as he got ready to give the freshman a well-earned 'noogie'.

Hearing a faint cough, the two stopped what they were doing to see where the sound came from. In front of them stood a pale, raven-haired girl, whose glasses mysteriously concealed her eyes as the lenses shimmered under the bright afternoon sun. She instantly resembled a female version of their Inui-senpai.

"Excuse me. You two look like you're from the tennis club. Do you mind telling me where I might find Ryuzaki-sensei?" The girl asked, flashing them both a polite smile.

The purple-eyed boy scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly, while the freshman gave her a passing look before reverting to the game he was watching. Reiko's felt a tick pop on her forehead upon the freshman's rudeness. The older boy noticed this and smacked the younger on the head.

"OI ECHIZEN! Don't be rude!" He scolded before turning to the girl. "Ah! Hai! Ryuzaki-sensei is just over there." He paused to point to a woman in a pink track-suit. She looked to be in her 60's. "I can take you to her if you want... anou..." The spiky-haired boy trailed off, not knowing the girl's name.

"Hasegawa Reiko. Reiko is fine..." She stated, pausing herself for she also didn't know the boy's name.

"I'm Momoshiro Takeshi. A junior from class 2-8. Please call me Momo. The rude freshman is Echizen Ryoma. Please ignore his innocence, the rest our teammates are generally more well-mannered." Momoshiro said.

"It's fine Momo-kun." The girl reassured and then looked at the freshman whom she caught staring at her as though he was assessing her.

"Ne Echizen-kun, you might bore a hole on my face if you keep staring at me like that." Reiko teased, flashing the freshman a threatening smile.

"Che..." Echizen muttered before going back to the game.

Momoshiro laughed at the younger boy before motioning the girl to follow him to Ryuzaki-sensei.

"Oba-san! Someone is looking for you!" Momoshiro greeted the elderly coach with a cheeky smile. So much for 'well-mannered'.

A vein popped on Ryuzaki Sumire's temple upon hearing how Momoshiro had addressed her. She then turned to see an unfamiliar girl standing alongside him.

She calmed herself down before she focused her attention on the girl. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar. "Yes?" The tennis coach asked, inwardly trying to place a finger at where she might have seen the girl before.

"Hello sensei, I'm Hasegawa Reiko from class 3-6 and I've recently transferred to this school. I'd like to join the tennis club." said the raven.

Ryuzaki-sensei remained silent, inspecting the bespectacled girl closely. Inwardly she tried to think who the girl's raven hair and pale complexion reminded her of. Momoshiro, on the other hand, looked surprised after hearing the girl was his senior.

"Is that so? Have you had any experience playing before?" The old coach asked scrutinisingly, eager to solve the mystery that boggled her. // That face. Her gestures remind me of someone... But who? //

"Not really. I play badminton, but the school doesn't have a club for that, so I thought tennis was the next-best thing." Reiko confessed.

"You do realize that tennis and badminton, although being racquet sports, are entirely different right? The strokes would be entirely different." There was only a slight hint of concern in her voice.

"That's not a problem, I can adjust. Actually, my ojii-san is a tennis coach. He used to teach me when I was younger." Reiko paused, remembering how depressed her grandfather was after she told him she loved playing badminton more than tennis. It took him a while but he acknowledged her stronger passion for badminton and not long, he became her number one supporter. Reiko adjusted her glasses by the stem after the quick reminiscence.

"Grandfather?" Ryuzaki-sensei questioned, finally connecting the dots. // Of course! That face! The pale skin and raven hair! The same comportment! //

"Reiko-chan, when I look at you, I can't help remembering an old friend of mine" The elderly coach paused and examined the girl again. "Do you, by any chance, know an Ishikawa Kenji?" She inquired. The coach's doubt was instantly replaced by excitement when she saw the raven become taken aback by the question.

"You know my ojii-san?" asked Reiko, stunned. Ryuzaki-sensei nodded with a wide smile on her face.

"Of course I do! He's a good friend of mine! AND one of the best tennis players during my time! You say he taught you?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked, remembering what the bespectacled girl said a few moments ago. She did remember her old friend bragging about his one and only granddaughter. He said she had a tennis prodigy's potential and that she had the makings of a future tennis champion. She smiled upon remembering his crestfallen face when his granddaughter's decided to pursue a different sport.

"H-hai! A little, only til I was 8. I decided I loved badminton more." replied Reiko. She then recalled her mother once mentioning that her grandfather used to be the number one Men's singles player in Japan during his time.

// If he said she showed promise, then who am I to doubt? The girls' team needs all the help they can get anyway. // Ryuzaki-sensei contemplated, remembering the state of their girls' tennis team. They only managed to take 4th in the district tournament. 4th out of 5, and that one game was won by a walk-over. Ryuzaki-sensei sighed. // We hardly have any decent female players too. //

Suddenly, an idea struck the elderly coach which caused her to hatch a sly smile. "Then Hasegawa-san, if you say you're up to it. I'll give you a try out." Ryuzaki-sensei stated, the mischief in her smile causing the raven-haired girl to feel wary.

"Try out?" Reiko repeated. Kawasaki-sensei never mentioned anything about trying out. "When do you want me to come for the try out?" She inquired.

"Well, we can start in 20 minutes. Are you up for it?" Ryuzaki-sensei replied casually, while her smile grew wider.

"Eh?! 20 minutes? I don't have any gear with me!" Reiko exclaimed, her palms beginning to sweat. // What is this old lady thinking? Did jii-san do anything bad to her that she's taking it out on me? //

"That's not a problem Reiko-chan. You can borrow running shoes and a P.E. uniform from the clinic, Unless you have a problem with that?" Ryuzaki-sensei goaded.

"Iiye... I'll... Go to the clinic right... now." replied an uncertain Reiko. Sure she expected some sort of screening, but she didn't think the coach would give it to her right on the spot. The raven ran to the clinic with various thoughts racing through her head.

**--Seigaku Tennis Grounds--**

When she got back, she found the crowd had grown in number.

// What the-? Did I miss anything? // She thought while squeezing through the thick mass of people. She managed to find Ryuzaki-sensei talking to 2 figures. As she neared them, she felt her eye twitch and a cold chill run down her spine after learning _who_ the coach was talking to, _and _what they were wearing.

Two boys wearing the Seigaku Regular jacket conversed with Ryuzaki-sensei from afar. Reiko would recognize them anywhere, even with their backs turned. She was about to make a run for it when her legs went numb upon hearing the voice that acknnowledged her presence.

"Saa... Hasegawa-san, you seem to be following me around lately."

Reiko's eye twitched uncontrollably and a shiver ran down her spine at the sound of the distinct voice. Slowly turning around, she found herself facing Fuji Syuusuke's ever-sadistic smile for the nth time that week.

"Ah... Fuji-kun... Who would have thought you played tennis?" Reiko asked, faking a crooked small and putting all effort on preventing her hands from throttling his neck.

"Everyone actually... Who would have thought you played, Hasegawa-san?" was the tennis prodigy's casual reply.

"Aa..." Sensing the ominous tension, a deep voice interrupted before 'Clash of the Titans' fully ensued.

Turning again, all of the raven's blood rushed to her face upon seeing the figure that earlier made her legs wobble like jelly. "H-hai?" She coyly looked up to meet the taller boy's scrutinizing gaze, her knees threatening to give in again.

"Ah... Hasegawa" Ryuzaki-sensei interrupted when she noticed the expression on the poor girl's face. "this is Tezuka Kunimitsu, he's the boys' team captain. And I see you've met Fuji-kun." The tense atmosphere instantly vapourised at the coach's intervention.

"Yoroshiku." Tezuka greeted monotonously, eyeing the girl reservedly.

"I guess we should begin your try-out Hasegawa." urged the tennis coach once more.

Sensing a hint of mischief in Ryuzaki-sensei's voice, Reiko shuddered, fearing whatever it was the elder lady had in store for her.

**--Court D--**

"Yoroshiku, Hasegawa-san!" greeted a girl with long, flowing, black hair. She towered over Reiko, standing around 180cm and her athletic build made Kaita Keiko look like she could shred anyone that stood in her way. Despite her attempt for a cheerful greeting, her deep voice instead sent shivers down the raven's, and any human's, spine. Reiko was staggered as she looked at the cager—captain—of the Seigaku Girls' Tennis Team, who currently held her hand out for a shake. She may be big, but Kaita Keiko would never hurt anyone, at least not on purpose.

Reiko felt her brain get rattled after the handshake.

"Saa... We call her the gentle giant, Hasegawa-san. She'll be your opponent for the try-out." Fuji smiled wider upon noticing that his voice was the reason behind the raven-haired girl's scowl.

// Gentle?! It felt like my brain just did a summersault! // Reiko screamed mentally. She eyed the girl before her once again. / This is my opponent?! She's nowhere near the word 'gentle'! // She inwardly squealed. Gulping, she thought she might die of a heart attack before even getting on the court.

"Aa... Good luck Hasegawa-san." said Tezuka before turning to leave.

"Ja Hasegawa-san! I hope you liked my try-out! It's better than giving you laps for a fitness test, ne?" The brown-haired boy bade, jogging after the tennis captain before his new classmate could react.

// This was his idea?! // Reiko thought angrily, gripping the borrowed tennis racquet so tight that if the handle were a neck, the raven would've been convicted of murder.

She'd rather do a million laps than get creamed by this leviathan. If she wasn't going to end up squished, she'd probably end up having a seizure from being shaken too much. Kaita Keiko made the ground tremor with each step!

"Fuji Syuusuke... TEME!" She cursed, loud enough for all of Tokyo to hear.

Fuji chuckled and turned around to face the infuriated girl. "By the way... Hasegawa-san..."

Reiko cocked her head up at Fuji, eyes filled with anger, hate, abhorrence, and all the other possible synonyms. Fuji smiled wider at the sight.

"Say cheese!" He quickly pulled a small digital camera out of his pocket and took a photo of the incensed Reiko, blinding her with the flash and angering her some more.

"FUJI SYUUSUKE! ORE WA TEME O KOROSU!" Reiko bellowed, finally snapping. Fuji merely walked away with a satisfied smirk—smile on his face.

All the regulars stopped when they heard what sounded like a raving madwoman threaten the team's resident tennis prodigy. They all felt their hairs stand on end upon realizing that Fuji Syuusuke had just angered a force that shouldn't be messed with.

"NYAAA! MINNA! THE APOCALYPSE IS COMING! RUN!!" Kikumaru wailed around the Seigaku Tennis grounds, flailing his hands in the air and back-flipping like a lunatic. Yes, Kikumaru Eiji tumbled faster than he could run.

// Fuji 3 – Hasegawa 2_. _//

--

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**Author's Note:**

So how was it? If there were any typos or grammatical errors, please tell me. Also, if you have any suggestions or criticisms, don't hesitate to tell me!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	4. Meet the Seigaku Regulars!

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**This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!**

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**Author's Note:**

This chapter continues from the previous one. There is a key point hidden in this chapter so please pay close attention!

Enjoy :)

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**Chapter 4**

Meet the Seigaku Regulars!

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**--Friday: Court D--  
**

As soon as Fuji left, Reiko felt a wave of fear sweep her body. She's going to get creamed. She shook her head of all negative thoughts and decided instead, to compose herself. Reiko closed her eyes and tried hard to remember all the tennis-related stuff her grandfather taught her as a kid.

_Flashback_

"_Once you take the pebble from my hand, then you are ready young tadpole." _

_She shook her head when she remembered a memory of her grandfather copying the famous "take-the-pebble-from-my-hand" scene from a movie, whose title she can't remember. She got ready to switch channels—view another memory._

"_Wax on, wax off." Reiko shook her head violently as she replayed the memory of her grandfather copying Mr. Miyagi from the 'Karate Kid' this time. _

_/ Why can't I get any decent tennis memories? / She thought, feeling frustrated. She concentrated harder._

_Reiko then felt pleased as she finally remembered an image of a little boy her age being coached by her grandfather. After coaching another kid, her grandfather would always insist on giving her tennis lessons whenever she'd stayed over at his house. She remembered the clay court he had built in his backyard for convenience. He knew he was getting older and it would become difficult for him to travel to public courts in the future. _

_8 year old Reiko watched in awe as the boy hit all the balls her grandfather served to him with perfect form and great power. She remembered his eyes, so full of determination. She couldn't quite remember what colour they were, or how the boy looked like. She only remembered the passion she saw in his eyes. Something she realized she only felt for badminton. She heard her grandfather give the boy a few tips while he kept serving the yellow balls at him. _

"_Looking good! Put more arm and more follow through! And don't forget to step forward with your racquet foot before hitting so you can get more power in your shots!" Ishikawa Kenji smiled contentedly as he saw his protégé nod and do exactly what he was told easily. _

_The coach beamed proudly as he signalled the boy to take a break and start cooling down. It was Reiko's turn._

_End of Flashback_

"Okay... So it's all in the arm. Follow through and step forward. Got it." Reiko told herself quietly as she got ready to start the game.

"Rough or smooth?" Asked the giant as.

"Nani?" Reiko asked dumbfounded, with no idea of what he opponent meant.

Keiko fell on the floor, chibi-style. Everyone on the tennis grounds felt a tremor. The crowd spotted the focal point of the little earthquake and started walking towards it.

**--Court A--**

"What was that?" asked Oishi in a worried tone, afraid that the tremor could get worse.

"Nya! Rei-chan is playing a game with Kaita-san!" The other half of the 'Golden Pair' squealed.

"Who?" A clueless Oishi asked.

"The new transfer student from Osaka, Hasegawa Reiko of 3-6, a junior national badminton player who is ranked 3rd for All Japan Girls' Singles, her family relocated to Tokyo 3 weeks ago, an only child, and owns a 6 year old Samoyed."

"Height: 160 cm, weight: 46 kg hair colour: black, like that of a raven's, eye colour: unkown, due to the fact that they are hidden behind glasses." Everyone sweat-dropped at Inui's physical description. Was he talking about himself?

"Hasegawa-san is about to have a game with the gentle giant, Kaita Keiko from 3-4. There is a 95 percent probability that Fuji had arranged the try out, the remaining 5 percent being Ryuzaki-sensei's idea." Inui spoke knowingly as he walked toward the direction of the try-out while writing something on the cover of a green notebook. 'Hasegawa Reiko Volume 1'. Everyone had blank expressions on their faces, wondering how Inui got all his data.

"Ii data..." Inui mumbled as while walking.

The rest of the regulars looked at Ryuzaki-sensei expectantly and found her pointing to Fuji. Fuji merely gave everyone an innocent look.

"Oi Echizen, let's go follow Inui-senpai. Maybe something interesting will happen during the game." Momoshiro said excitedly, surreptitiously tiptoeing to where Inui was headed.

"Mada mada dane. Momo-senpai..." replied the impassive freshman who then followed his senior towards Court D, the end court where the game was being held.

"NYA! OCHIBI! MOMO! I WANNA WATCH TOO! WAIT FOR ME!!" Kikumaru squealed as he bounced off with his two kouhais. Before he left, he handed Kawamura a racquet.

"BURNING! OI! WAIT FOR ME! COME ON BABY!" Kawamura declared in his burning mode. Oishi followed his team mates to make sure they stayed out of trouble, especially with Kawamura in burning mode.

"FSHHH..." Kaidoh merely hissed as he resumed doing 100 "Boomerang Snake" swings. / Slackers. / He thought.

"Ne Tezuka, I may have cooked up an interesting game. Would you like to see what happens?" Fuji asked, faking an enthusiastic smile. Tezuka didn't reply and stared sternly at the mastermind.

"Saa... So you don't mind if I go and watch?" asked Fuji. Tezuka looked down at Fuji once more before walking to the clubhouse. He had to organise the next ranking tournament, and he was starting to get a migraine.

"Then, I'll see you later Tezuka." Fuji bid casually before heading off to the end court.

/ Slackers, even Fuji-senpai. Fshhh... / Kaidoh hissed mentally as he resumed his personal training program, but was abruptly interrupted when—

"Kaidoh. 20 Laps around the courts. Now." Tezuka commanded as he gave into the urge of giving laps to alleviate his stress from having a team that lacked 'seriousness'. Having barked out the order, he went inside the clubroom.

Kaidoh froze. When he saw Tezuka go inside the clubhouse, he started running. Running to where the rest of his teammates were.

**--Back to Court D--**

The Regulars gathered at Court D just in time to see a dumbfounded Reiko and the giant Keiko on the floor. That explains the tremor. Then the giant stood up.

"Pick an end to call for the service. Rough or smooth?" The towering opponent explained as she forced a smile on her face.

"Nya! Oishi! Kaita-san looks like she's about to eat Rei-chan!" Kikumaru whimpered as he hid behind his doubles partner.

"Maa maa... Eiji, you should know Kaita-san better than that. She wouldn't even harm a fly." Oishi reassured his doubles partner in a maternal tone.

"Saa... Maybe she prefers harming humans rather than flies." Fuji interjected, popping out of nowhere.

"Jeez Fuji-senpai! Do you enjoy giving us a heart-attack?" uttered Momoshiro, shocked at how his senpai could just pop out of nowhere like a mushroom. "Demo... you really think she likes hurting humans?" Momoshiro asked worriedly.

"BAKEMONO! Of course Fuji-senpai was kidding! Do you think there's someone out there who enjoys tormenting people other than himself?! You really are stupid!" snapped Kaidoh at the now fuming Momoshiro.

"What did you say Mamushi?!" Momoshiro barked angrily.

"Who are you calling a snake? Bozaru!" Kaidoh hissed again. Everyone sweatdropped as another Momo-Kaidoh fistfight was developed.

"Momo-Kaidoh Fight Scene, take 11235813, ACTION!" Kikumaru played director, urging his two juniors.

"Eiji!" Oishi reprimanded while trying to break the two juniors apart. They stopped their brawl when they heard Inui speak up.

"There is only 2 percent chance that Kaita Keiko would ever hurt a human." Everyone's ears perked when Inui started to explain the possibility.

"That chance being brought about by famine across Japan, where food is scarce and she'll have no choice but to eat her own kind in desperate hopes of survival. Even with the 2 percent, her preference would likely be infants with soft meat. She would not like the muscular and hard meat from teenagers."

Everyone shuddered as they wondered how Inui had come up with such a morbid conclusion. They assumed it must be the fumes from making his infamous Inui Juice that were starting to kill his brain cells. Was he still accurate? Everyone was wondering, when they're thoughts were interrupted.

"Rough! Hasegawa to serve, One-set Match! Love all. Play."

Everyone watched in anticipation as Reiko dribbled the ball and tried to familiarize herself with tennis again.

/ Gosh! When was the last time I played tennis? 5-6 years ago? /She thought as she prepared to serve.

"Here goes." she told herself as she served an overhead serve.

WOOSH!

"Fault serve! Love all!" The umpire announced. Her serve flew well over the fence.

"As expected, there is a 90 percent chance that Hasegawa Reiko's overhead shots would go out." Everyone looked away from the game to look at Inui incredulously.

"In badminton, the shuttlecock is prevented from landing in a player's side of the court. Allowing so will give a point to the opponent." Everyone nodded in comprehension as Inui played 'Dr. T'."Unless offensive, players will rarely hit down for a smash or a drive." Dr. T—Inui finished.

"There's no hope for her to win then." said Echizen point-blankly. Everyone stared at Echizen as though he'd just swallowed a dead rat.

"Oi Echizen! Stop being so pessimistic!" said Momoshiro as he turned back to the game.

"Okay, calm down Reiko. More arm, and follow through." She coached herself before preparing for another serve. She served using her whole arm rather than relying on her wrist, and followed through the shot downwards. The ball went slowly over the net in a downward direction.

"Yatta! It went in!" Reiko celebrated when she saw her serve go over. Her little celebration came to an abrupt end when she saw the ball return to her side of the court. She was caught off-guard.

"15-0! Kaita lead!" announced the umpire. / Right, the ball is allowed to bounce once. /

/ Concentrate. How do you rally? / Reiko thought to herself as she tried to remember the Inui-Kawamura match she'd seen earlier.

/ Right. So I predict the returns with my awesome power of insight? / Reiko thought to herself as she served.

"There is a 86.5 percent chance that you will return it with a lob." Reiko sounded like a fortune-teller as she premediated her opponent's return. The shot turned out to be a drive down her backhand side. Reiko sweatdropped.

"30-0! Kaita Lead!"

"What is she doing, nya?!" Kikumaru exclaimed, mouth agape as he saw Reiko's 'waaaaay-off' prediction.

"Bwahehehehehe! She's trying to copy Inui-senpai!" Momoshiro answered with hysterical laughs. "And she's doing a great job!" he added sardonically.

/ Okay, so that didn't work. Burn like that sideburns kid to intimidate the opponent? /

"BURNING! OORYA! COME ON!" Reiko shouted, trying to sound as pumped as ever before she served another one.

She started flailing her racquet violently in the air. Her tactic didn't work for the giant's side of the court was trembling too much that it overwhelmed Reiko's voice. Kaita's return could've easily been hit back, if her racquet wasn't being whirled around in the air like a viking.

Kikumaru and Momoshiro both fell on the floor laughing.

"Nya! Rei-chan is copying Taka-san this time! Nyahahaha!" Reiko was barely copying Kawamura Takashi. Her voiced sounded like a squeal and her small frame only made it look ridiculous.

"HAH! NO ONE ELSE CAN PULL OFF "BURNING" EXCEPT ME! GREATO!!" Declared the fired-up Kawamura.

"40-Love?" The umpire declared the score with unsurely. She was taken aback by the "trying-to-be-Burning" Reiko.

/ What are you doing Reiko? What else did they do other than make you look like an idiot? /

Reiko thought hard as she tried to remember snippets of the Inui-Kawamura game. She remembered she stayed long enough to witness a rally from the two. She closed her eyes to try and recall Inui's movements.

"I don't have photographic memory, but maybe it's like this." Reiko mimicked a normal forehand swing she thought she saw Inui perform. She was stoked to find the ball go in.

Her towering opponent didn't expect a return and was caught off guard. Apparently, no one listens to Tezuka when he says, 'Yudan sezu ni ikou.'

"40-15!" There was a slight sound of disbelief as the umpire announced the score.

"Yatta!" Reiko couldn't stop herself from exclaiming in joy. This time she didn't put her guard down as she anticipated the return.

She kept the 2 minute mental video in mind and surprised herself when she pulled off a 12 ball rally that earned her another point.

"Nya! GAMBATTE REI-CHAN!" Kikumaru exclaimed excitedly as he observed his friend finally make a rally after 10 minutes into the game.

Although the giant won the first game, Reiko was ecstatic that she was able to provide a rally.

Reiko looked up when she heard her name being called out and found Kikumaru bouncing up and down while waving his hands at her. She felt her pale face turn blue when she found the Seigaku Regulars watching her game. Then her eye started twitching at the sight of the smiling sadist, his hand under his chin. He seemed to be observing her. She scolded herself mentally before turning back to her game with full concentration.

"She catches on pretty quick." Ryoma said emotionlessly. He had to admit, this girl speedily learned the basic principles of tennis. / But still, she has a long way to go. /

/ So she's a fast learner. Interesting. / Fuji thought as he observed the bespectacled girl's game improve by leaps and bounds after, now, 2 games. Everyone watched in awe.

"Kenji, you old bag, seems like you were right. Demo... I wonder if this school is big enough for two tensais." Ryuzaki-sensei thought silently to herself as she observed Reiko's game from the clubhouse. She then wondered what her old friend was up to at that very moment.

"What do you think Tezuka? She shows potential." The old coach asked with a smirk.

"Aa..." Tezuka dully replied . Even Tezuka had to agree, the girl learned quickly.

"Game won by Kaita, 2 games to love!" announced the umpire at the end of the second game. The gentle giant had won the second game but Hasegawa Reiko did not make it easy. The game lasted longer than 30 minutes. No one thought she'd last that long, especially when she was being shaken by tremors the giant sent around the court.

"Ne Yumi-chan, Reiko-chan is good!" Chiharu said excitedly as she looked over to her friend who was watching the game intently.

"Yes, Chiharu-chan, she's definitely improved." Ayumi agreed, her eyes never leaving her friend's court.

"Game won by Hasegawa, 2-1!" The umpire had declared, sounding a little excited herself.

The crowd had gotten bigger around Court D. Cries of disbelief could be heard from the audience as Reiko was finally able to take a game from her intimidating opponent.

/ Yosh! I'm actually getting a good rhythm here. Alright, maybe I can mix it up a little. / Reiko thought, eager to see if she could apply some of her badminton skills to tennis.

"The serve is just like a smash. So then I should be able to-" She stopped as she prepared to serve. "I-ku-zo!" She chanted as she served the bright yellow tennis ball like how she smashed a shuttlecock.

Everyone's jaw dropped. They next thing they saw was a whizzing yellow tennis ball bounce right on the line with lightning speed. It was not a powerful serve, but it sure as hell was a fast one. The crowd erupted in cheers.

"N-Nani? What the hell was that?!" Momoshiro exclaimed after witnessing what seemed to be the fastest serve he'd seen from a girl.

"Hmmm..." Echizen smirked under his white cap.

"Hayai..." muttered Kawamura quietly, he dropped his racquet on the ground from shock.

"So she has learned to apply her skills from badminton to tennis." Inui stated sounding thrilled. He too wanted to see what the advantages of playing badminton were.

"This will be good. Ii data..." Inui scribbled madly on his 'handy-dandy' notebook. He mentally gave himself a pat on the back for his good decision of watching the game.

"NYA! SUGOI REI-CHAN! That serve was on fire! Do it again!" Kikumaru cheered while clapping excitedly.

"Eiji! Keep your voice down! You might distract her!" Oishi scolded.

"Yes! That's it Eiji!" said Inui in a freaky excited voice. He was thinking about what to call the serve when Kikumaru cheered and unintentionally gave him an idea.

"Hot Serve." Inui stated, the excitement still evident in his voice as he scribbled intensely on his notebook, his pencil seemed to be smoking from the speed that he wrote.

/ Hot serve. Not bad Hasegawa-san, would you show us more? / Fuji inwardly spoke as he watched the raven-haired girl evolve during the game.

Like what Inui had said, the game had become lopsided. Reiko realized she was agile enough to get her opponent's returns without waiting for the ball to bounce. Before you know it, Reiko had won 5 games and was now only a point away to win the match.

"M-m-monster..." Momoshiro stuttered as he watched the bloodbath before his eyes. Reiko was winning by a large margin, and was mercilessly returning the bright yellow ball with drives and smashes.

"She can even rival Eiji's agility." Oishi said amazed, never taking his eyes off the court.

"NYA!" Kikumaru squeaked , obviously in disapproval.

It was match point, Kaita served a moderately fast serve and Reiko volleyed to hit it to the giant's rear backhand side. A winning Passing Shot. The giant managed to tap the ball, what with her long arms. She barely got it over the other side. She saw Reiko get ready for a backhand drive and started to move backwards. Her eyes widened when she saw Reiko slide her racquet past the ball as she manoeuvred her racquet lower. Reiko did a between-the-legs crosscourt drop-shot.

The giant fell. Another tremor was felt and everyone was silent for a few seconds before the Regulars erupted into cheers.

"She really is a force to be reckoned!" said Momoshiro, his jaw ajar as he saw the end of the game.

"Usu. And Fuji-sempai just messed with her." Echizen deadpanned as he pointed an accusing finger at the tennis prodigy, reminding everyone of the danger Fuji had put the entire school in. Fuji flashed a smile that sent chills down everyone's spines.

"It can't be helped, there is a 96 percent probability for Fuji to piss off a short-tempered person without hesitation." Inui stated in a 'matter-of-factly' tone before walking towards the raven-haired girl. Everyone nodded, agreeing with what Inui said.

"Minna, I guess we should congratulate Hasegawa-san for winning." Oishi prompted, everyone then followed Inui to Reiko's direction.

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**Author's Note:**

Like I said, key point in this chapter! There will be a lot of those in the story! Please be mindful!

Thank you to all those who have reviewed so far!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	5. Welcome Varsity!

* * *

**This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This chapter still continues from the previous one!

Don't forget to review! Enjoy! :)

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Welcome Varsity!

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**--On the court--**

"Great game Hasegawa-san! I hope to play you again next time!" The towering Kaita congratulated her opponent enthusiastically. Their gesture was interrupted when 7 boys approached them.

"Hasegawa-san, congratulations! I guess you're in the Girls' Team!" said a boy with the bottom part of his head shaved, 2 strands left dangling on top his forehead. "I'm Oishi Shuichiro, the fukubuchou of the boys' tennis team." He introduced himself. Reiko was about to shake the said fukubuchou's hand when she felt a certain red-head glomp her in excitement.

"Hoi! Rei-chan! Sugoi!! Nya!" Kikumaru said excitedly as he hugged the raven-haired girl. "Demo... why didn't you tell us you play badminton at a national level, nya?" Kikumaru curiously asked.

"Eh?! How did you know that?" Reiko asked incredulously. Everyone stared at a tall boy with thick black glasses and spiky hair.

"Inui Sadaharu from class 3-11, would you like some Inui juice?" The bespectacled boy introduced himself as he held out a bottle with thick red-liquid, smoke coming out of the lid. Everyone looked in horror and signalled Reiko to decline. Reiko's mouth twitched.

"A-ah, maybe next time Inui-san." declined Reiko. Inui observed her facial expression before writing it down on his green book.

"I'll hold you to that. Ii data..." Inui cackled as he jotted on his precious data book.

"Reiko-chan-senpai, your hot serve was amazing!" Momo said elatedly as he shook Reiko's hand.

"Reiko-senpai is fine Momo-kun." She corrected. Momoshiro scratched his head sheepishly before continuing.

"It wasn't as powerful as Kawamura-senpai here but it sure was fast! Can you teach me how you did it?" Momo gazed at her hopefully. Reiko meekly nodded her head before turning to Kawamura.

"You must be Kawamura-san then?" She turned to see a brown haired boy blush and scratch the back of his head bashfully.

Reiko wondered if she saw correctly, she could've sworn she remembered a similar looking boy, shouting in dreadful English, play the practice match with Inui a while ago. She then saw Echizen hand the older boy a racquet. Reiko felt herself step back in surprise when the timid boy started swinging his racquet violently like a barbarian.

"Kawamura Takashi! Taka-san! That's my name BABY! Oorya!" He exclaimed loudly as he kept flinging his racquet in the air. Reiko stared at him in disbelief while everyone looked like it was a normal thing.

"He gets... mood swings." Oishi informed, Reiko could only nod.

/ A.D.H.D? / She thought as she wondered if the boy suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

"Mada mada dane." Echizen said impassively, his smirk hidden under his cap.

"It's nice to see you again too, Echizen-kun..." Reiko greeted him with a smile.

She then saw a lanky boy with a green bandana just behind Echizen, he seemed uninterested in whatever that was happening. Oishi noticed her looking at the junior.

"The one with the bandana is Kaidoh Kaoru, a junior. He's not very talkative." Oishi introduced the boy who, at the sound of his name, looked at Reiko and bowed.

"Fssssh..." was all Reiko heard from the boy.

"Nice to meet you too, Kaidoh-kun." Reiko smiled at the boy who blushed before looking away again. / Must be the shy type. / She thought.

"You can call him Mumushi or viper, he looks so much like one doesn't he, Reiko-senpai?" Momoshiro jeered. Kaidoh's head snapped at his spiky-haired team mate.

"What did you say bozaru?!" Kaidoh hissed. Momoshiro turned red at what Kaidoh called him.

"What you heard me say MAMUSHI!" Momoshiro barked.

"Wanna take this outside?! Yaro!" Kaidoh roared.

"We are outside, do'aho!" Momoshiro retorted.

/ Talk about mood swings_./ _Reiko thought, stunned at how Kaidoh quickly turned violent at the sound of Momoshiro's voice. She saw Oishi break up the brawl the two boys were in.

/ So he's the 'mother hen'_._ /Reiko watched in amusement when her thoughts were interrupted by...

"That was quite a show, Hasegawa-san." Reiko's eye started twitching when she heard the distinct, velvet voice of the school's resident tensai.

Everyone noticed the change in Reiko's facial expression. Her sweet smile was no longer present, and her pale face had turned crimson. Reiko turned to the voice, a vein popped on her forehead. She was about to say something clever when-

"Excuse me Hasegawa-san, I have to get going, it's getting late. I truly hope to get to play you again soon!" The huge girl, who truly had a gentle personality, excused herself in a hurry. Reiko's mental light bulb flicked on when an idea hit her.

"Sure!" Reiko said smiling, no longer feeling intimidated by her opponent's size.

"Demo... I guess you'll have to thank Fuji-kun here for arranging the game." Reiko turned to give Fuji an all too familiar smile. Yes, Reiko truly adapted quickly. It was her turn to smile sadistically.

Fuji froze as he saw Kaita, the 'gentle' giant run towards him to shake his hand. For the first time in his life, Fuji Syuusuke felt his insides do backflips.

/ Fuji 3 - Hasegawa 3. / Reiko mentally kept track of the score as she looked at a swirly-eyed Fuji who still had his plastered smile on despite being vigorously shaken.

The small celebration was then interrupted when 3 freshman boys came running to the court.

"Senpais!" A brown haired boy with a monobrow shouted as they approached the regulars, panting.

"What is it Horio-kun?" Oishi asked, worried at why the brown haired boy was panicking. A boy with a mushroom hair cut spoke up.

"R-Ryuzaki-sensei said that if you don't all return to practice immediately, you'll all be running 10 laps around the courts!" the mushroom-haired boy finished. Everyone turned pale.

"Also..." Everyone turned their attention to a boy with shaved hair. "Who is Hasegawa-senpai?" questioned the boy. Everyone turned to look at Reiko.

"That would be me." Reiko answered. "Hasegawa Reiko, Reiko-senpai is fine."

"Mizuno Katsuo, first year, yoroshiku." The boy with the shaved head smiled shyly as he introduced himself to the senior.

"Kato Kachiro" chimed the one with the mushroom hair.

"Nyahahahahaha! And I am Horio Satoshi, with two years of tennis experience!" The brown-haired boy with the monobrow butt in.

Everyone sweatdropped although they've already anticipated Horio to grab every opportunity to make known that he has 2 years of tennis experience.

"Yoroshiku Horio-kun. I'm Hasegawa Reiko with no years of tennis experience."

Reiko introduced herself as she gave Horio an 'is-there-anything-else-you'd-like-to-rub-in' look to make the boy feel guilty of bragging. The boy with the monobrow could only scratch his head shamefacedly.

"Anou Reiko-senpai..." Katsuo interrupted. "Ryuzaki-sensei wants to see you too" He finished.

"Anou senpais..." Everyone turned to the mushroom haired boy. "I don't think it's good to keep Tezuka-senpai and Ryuzaki-sensei waiting." Kachiro reminded.

A big dust cloud enveloped Court D and when it cleared, everyone saw the Regulars practicing on the other end, as if nothing had happened.

**--Outside the Clubhouse-- **

Ryuzaki-sensei told Reiko to meet her at the clubhouse after her game. After having freshened up, Reiko walked to the said meeting place in deep thought.

/ I still prefer playing badminton, but I guess tennis is okay as well. / Reiko left the thought as she found herself standing outside the clubhouse. She knocked and waited till she heard the faint 'come in' from Ryuzaki-sensei.

"Ah Hasegawa! I'm glad you made it!" the old coach greeted her with delight.

"Please call me Reiko, Ryuzaki-sensei." As she looked up to see the old coach... standing next to the Seigaku Boys' Tennis Team captain, she flushed so hard before continuing. "Y-you wanted to s-see me sensei?" She stammered.

"Ah yes! I just wanted to congratulate you for getting into Seigaku Girls Tennis Team." The coach welcomed her warmly.

"Congratulations, Hasegawa-san." She heard the familiar baritone voice of the boys' team captain say. She looked up to see the same stoic expression on his face. /He sure is stiff. Stiff but cute/She blushed at the thought and slapped herself mentally.

"Ah... Also, I have decided that it's about time the girls' team take tennis seriously..." Ryuzaki-sensei pausedto eye Reiko and smiled playfully when she saw the younger girl's confused facial expression.

"I have decided to make a girls' Varsity Tennis team that will is equivalent to the boys' Regulars Team. I have selected 4 players, you and Kaita included, to be in this squad." The sensei handed Reiko a slip of paper that seemed to be the Regulars' morning and afternoon training schedule. Reiko was dumbstruck.

"Oh! And Tezuka has agreed to the idea of having the Varsity team train with the Regulars. I think it'll shape up the new team faster." Ryuzaki-sensei spoke with obvious mischief.

Reiko felt her face turn blue. Train with the regulars?!

/That means-!_ /_She blushed as she looked down to read the schedule given to her, the red from her cheeks quickly drained as she saw what was on the timetable.

"Morning practice is at 6:00 in the morning?!" She exclaimed in shock. Ryuzaki-sensei smiled wider when the younger girl had finally realized what was on the sheet.

Tezuka sweatdropped at the smile the elderly coach was giving the younger one.

"Then Reiko-chan, I expect you to be here for Saturday Training tomorrow! 8:00 am and don't be late, or you'll live to regret it!" Ryuzaki Sumire concluded in a singsong tone.

**--Just outside Seigaku Gates--**

Reiko looked dead as she walked out of the clubroom. Her moping was disturbed when she saw her 2 friends waiting for her by the gates.

"Yumi-chan? Chiharu-chan? What are you two still doing here?" Reiko asked, touched that her friends waited for her.

"We just wanted to say congratulations! And we hope you won't be late tomorrow!" Ayumi said as a playful smile crossed her face.

"Late... Tomorrow?" Reiko asked, still confused to what her friends were playing at.

"Saturday Training of course!" Chiharu piped in with an excited tone.

"You mean-? You two are-? You two play-?" She was totally lost now. "Why didn't you tell me? And what about the cow crap about helping you stalk Inui and Oishi?!"

"We wanted to surprise you! SURPRISE! Aren't you glad? We're all club mates!" Chiharu squealed excitedly.

"Besides, you ARE going to help us stalk! The more the merrier ne?" Chiharu continued cheerily.

Reiko felt her eye twitch again. / What did I get myself into? /

"Ne Yumi-chan, I don't think she's too happy we're going to be teammates." Chiharu told her friend as she waved a hand in front of the raven haired girl's face. Ayumi just sighed before she and Chiharu decided to leave the dazed Reiko behind.

**--A few blocks outside Seigaku--**

/ At least ojii-san would be happy when I tell him the good news. / Reiko pictured her would-be delighted grandfather's face when she tells him of the news.

She snapped out of her reverie 5 minutes after her friends left. /Some friends/ She started her walk home. /They just left me looking like an id—/

Her thoughts went to an abrupt stop when she noticed a familiar figure walking a few metres ahead of her. A leery smile crept across her face when she established that the figure truly belonged to her arch nemesis. She trailed behind the brown-haired tensai as she prepared a spit ball in her mouth.

KOISSSHHHK! Reiko tried to put as much saliva as she possibly can. She hid behind a trash bin and aimed before...

"We seem to be bumping into each other quite a lot, ne Hasegawa-san?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

/ How did he-? But he never saw- Gah! / Reiko was boggled as she wondered how Fuji knew she was there without even turning around.

"I just so happened to walk by." Reiko said trying to sound as innocent as possible. Fuji chuckled and started walking again. Silence occupied them for 5 minutes when...

"Eh?! Hasegawa-san? You're still here? Masaka! Are you stalking me?" Fuji asked in a teasing tone, faking a look of shocked realization.

"Agh! You airheaded jerk! Don't be too full of yourself! It just so happened my house is in this direction!" Reiko barked at him angrily.

"Saa... If you say so, Hasegawa-san." Fuji continued walking, the teasing smile still present. They walked in silence again. Fuji, who walked ahead, was oblivious to the piercing glare Reiko was giving him.

The eerie silence that lay between them was suddenly broken when-

"NANI?!" Reiko exclaimed in shock as she stopped in front of their new house.

"Saa... So you're the new neighbour. What a coincidence, Ne Hasegawa-san?" Fuji asked innocently as he turned to meet the stunned face of Hasegawa Reiko. The colour went from pale to blue. Fuji went inside his house with a contented smile.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!" She cried, devastated.

**--Inside a train car--**

Tezuka quietly sat on his seat as he waited for the train to stop at his designated platform. A faint anguished cry that sounded vaguely familiar caused his head to snap up. He pushed his glasses by the bridge and felt another migraine shoot up.

* * *

XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Note:**

It's Friday, 25th of July, 2008.

I have, so far, only finished editing up to this part of the story! I hope there was an improvement. I intended to give it a better flow by trying to fix some things up!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	6. Primitive Tezuka!

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**This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!**

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**Author's Notes: **

Mehh.. this chapter is totally random, BIT of crack included. Tezuka is primitive!

Anyway, if you find any spelling errors that's probably a typo. If you find grammatical errors, I was probably high on coconut juice that time. Please correct them using your imagination.

Constructive suggestions are welcome too, but I don't think I CBF browsing over this whole chapter for errors, it's too farking loooong!

**--**

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**Chapter 6**

Primitive Tezuka

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**--Saturday Morning--**

Reiko was dreaming about ways she could kill Fuji Syuusuke painfully.

_Reiko's Dream_

_Scenario 1. Tie Fuji up and hang him on a tree. Let his fan girls molest him to death._ "Bwahehehe" Reiko cackled in her sleep.

_Disadvantage: He's probably stronger._ Reiko grunted as she heard a little voice in her dream tell her about the disadvantage.

_Scenario 2. Climb their rooftop before dawn and wait till Fuji comes out. Shoot him with your sniper._

_Disadvantage: You don't have a sniper._ Reiko tossed sidewards in her sleep in hopes of shaking the voice off.

_Scenario 3. Call a bunch of Mafia clowns and tell them that Fuji was a Yakuza clown. Hopefully _the _take them to the Godfather to be thrown into a tank of blood thirsty guppies._

_Disadvantage: You don't know how to contact the Mafia. And there's no such thing as a Clown Yakuza or Mafia. And there's no such thing as a blood thirst guppy as well._

_Scenario 4. Keep stuffing Fuji with 'gabazillion' kilos of pork fat and wait till he accumulates enough cholesterol to have a heart-attack._

_Disadvantage: Where am I going to find "gabazillion" kilos of pork fat?_

_Scenario 5. Overdose Fuji with 'Panadol', dip him in breadcrumbs and feed him to sea gulls._

_Disadvantage: The sea gulls might explode from the 'Panadol'. And it won't be painful if he's unconscious._

Flabbergasted, Reiko woke up from the best and worst dream of her life. She checked and saw that the alarm on her clock had already been put off.

"Ah... It's only 7:15 am..." She reassured herself, laying down to get back to sleep.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

"AHHHH! IT'S ALREADY 7:15?! MOOOOM!" Reiko put her glasses on and frantically ran down the stairs, knowing she was going to be late for her first tennis practice.

"What's the hurry dear?" Mrs. Hasegawa asked, greeting her daughter with a warm smile as she entered the kitchen hysterically.

"Who turned my alarm off? I told you I had tennis practice today!" Reiko eyed her mom accusingly, annoyed she woke up late.

"It rang at 6 in the morning. It was so annoying so I turned it off. Anyway, you usually wake up for badminton training by yourself." Mr. Hasegawa chimed, turning away from the morning paper and looking up at his panic-stricken daughter.

"That's entirely different!" Reiko said automatically.

"Woof!" A six year old Samoyed barked excitedly upon seeing its master finally awake.

"Hey Krypto, you and I are the only sane beings in this house ne?" Reiko whispered to the dog while patting it lovingly.

"You're the one who's talking to a dog dear. Anyway, if you're in such a hurry, why are you still standing there?" Her dad said flatly as he got back to reading the broadsheet.

Reiko completely ignored her father's statement for her brain had just cooked up an idea. You could practically hear the "Ding!" by looking at the expression on her face. "Ne Krypto-kun..." Reiko started, staring at her 3 foot dog deviously. The dog only stared at her curiously.

"You're not going to tie Krypto to your skateboard and use him as a sleigh dog honey." She heard her mom say, her words dead on.

"How did you-? I wasn't going to-! GAH! This is impossible!" The bespectacled girl charged upstairs to freshen up and get dressed. After 2 minutes, Reiko raced downstais, yelling.

"Otou-san! Otou-san! Otou-san!" She yelled excitedly. "How would you like to send your only daughter to her first tennis practice in her new school?" Reiko asked, with a sickeningly sweet voice. She would've batted her lashes at her father to look even more irresistable, had her glasses not been on her face.

"Since you asked so nicely... Okay." Her dad replied sarcastically. H then saw his daughter smirk while her glasses glimmered darkly."It's not because I wanted to play stage daddy, Reiko, its cause I know how desperate you are." He continued flatly. Reiko faked a crestfallen pout before heading out their house. As if she cared if her father did or didn't know, either way, she got what she wanted.

**--Outside the Hasegawa household--**

"Hayaku, otou-san!" Reiko exclaimed impatiently, tapping her feet on their driveway, not noticing a smiling Fuji step out the house next door. Fuji saw Reiko over the hedge and his smile quickly turned into a sadistic one.

"O-ha-you Hasegawa-san!" Fuji greeted, a hint of mischief was evident in his voice. Reiko twitched.

"Fuji..." Reiko acknowledged point-blankly. She grudgingly turned to the direction of the repulsively smooth voice.

Mr. Hasegawa stepped out of the house and found her daughter sending daggers to the boy next door.

"Reiko!" Mr. Hasegawa reprimanded. "I apologize for my daughter's rude behaviour, she's not usually like that." apologized Mr. Hasegawa as he went closer to get a better view of the boy.

"You must be our new neighbour. I'm Hasegawa Ryu." The older man introduced. He noted that the boy was wearing a blue and white jacket that had "Seigaku Tennis Team" written on it. He also noticed a black, tennis bag slung over the boy's shoulder like a backpack.

"Ohayou gozamaisu, Hasegawa-san. I'm Fuji Syusuke, dozo yoroshiku." Greeted Fuji politely, flashing a pleasant smile at the elder man who looked to be around his early forties.

"Play tennis huh Syusuke-kun? Any good?" Mr. Hasegawa asked with interest after seeing Fuji's gear. "I used to play as a youngster myself, although I wasn't as serious as my father-in-law was about it, I enjoyed it just as he did." Mr. Hasegawa remembered how his father-in-law kicked his heinie in tennis, a test to see if he was good enough for his daughter.

"Ah... I try to play decent games." said Fuji humbly. He was then interrupted by an all-too-impatient Reiko.

"Yeah yeah... Now that we're all acquainted, otou-san! I'll be late!" Reiko complained, reminding her dad of her agenda.

"Ah! That's right Reiko-san, Tezuka-buchou does not take tardiness lightly. I should get going too." Reiko twitched when she heard Fuji call her by her first name. Fuji turned to leave when—

"YOUR buchou?" Mr. Hasegawa asked, eyeing his daughter condescendingly.

"Hai. Reiko-san and I go to the same school. We both have tennis practice this morning. Hasn't she mentioned it before? Fuji asked innocently, furtively flashing a sadistic smile at Reiko. The latter felt her eye twitch some more.

"No she hasn't. I wonder why...?" Mr. Hasegawa asked sardonically.

His daughter failed to mention their next-door neighbour went to the same school. She also forgot to mention that they were in the same tennis club. Heck, she hasn't told them anything about her new school at all.

"If that's the case, why don't you catch a lift with us Syusuke-kun?" asked Mr. Hasegawa, shaking off the annoyance he felt with his daughter.

"I don't want to impose, sir." Fuji said politely before looking slyly at Reiko.

"T-That's right otou-san! He doesn't want to impose. Let's not make him impose!" Reiko pushed, trying to get her dad to leave before anything else happens.

"Reiko..." Mr. Hasegawa said in a warning tone. He gave his daughter a stern look before turning to the tennis prodigy.

"Don't be silly Fuji-kun, of course it's not a problem." Fuji nodded politely before coming over to Hasegawa territory. Reiko's hands trembled as they felt the urge to strangle something, preferably with brown-hair and a plastered smile.

**--In the Car--**

"So Syusuke-kun, what year are you in at Seishun Gakuen?" Mr. Hasegawa asked glancing at the rear-view mirror to meet Fuji's... closed?... eyes.

"I'm in my third year sir, Reiko-san's classmate to be exact." Fuji replied curtly, using the same mirror to view the expression on Reiko's face. She was pissed alright. Her usually pale face was red with anger. He resisted the urge to smile.

"Really?!" Mr. Hasegawa exclaimed, surprised, nearly losing control on the steering wheel as he avoided the turkey on the road.

As to why there was a turkey, well Fuji thought he should at least be 'useful' since he's catching was catching a free ride with the Hasegawas. So he decided to tell Mr. Hasegawa about his secret 'short cut' to school. That explains where they are now. In a, barely, wide enough side street beside Tokyo Wet Market, which also happens to be in the opposite direction to the school.

Mr. Hasegawa gave his daughter a 'you-forgot-to-mention-that-too' look. Reiko could only let out a nervous laugh.

"That's good then! Maybe you can keep an eye on my daughter for me! She's my only child you see." Mr. Hasegawa requested. Reiko then started choking on, well, nothing but her saliva really.

"You know last week she came home and couldn't move her head! She had to sleep sitting up. Wouldn't even tell us how she managed to get a stiff neck." Mr. Hasegawa narrated, his eyes never leaving the road. Fuji's face freely hatched a sadistic smile.

"I'll guard her with my life, Hasegawa-san." He promised the older man, a hint of mischief evdident in his voice.

Mr. Hasegawa smiled and relaxed. Now he won't be left in the dark about to his daughter's life outside home. Reiko choked some more.

The drive to school was only supposed to take 5 minutes, but with Fuji's 'detour', it took them 15. Reiko and Fuji were 5 minutes late for training.

/It's worth the laps_./ _Fuji thought sadistically, knowing what was in store for both him and his neighbour.

**--Seigaku Tennis Grounds--**

Everyone had already started warming up when Fuji and Reiko arrived. They stopped what they were doing and wondered why the 2 showed up at the same time. The two would definitely 'accidentally' kill each other if left less than a 2 metres apart, without adult supervision.

"Hoi! Fujiko? Why did you and Rei-chan come to school together? That's not fair!" Kikumaru whined, being the first to break the silence. Everyone's ears perked up, curious to hear what the two had to say.

"Saa... I was on my way to school when I saw a pregnant woman having trouble crossing the street. I happened to see Hasegawa-san from afar and asked her to direct the traffic while I helped the expectant lady cross." Fuji casually lied.

Everybody fell on the ground. Reiko's jaw dropped at how quickly Fuji made a nonsensical story.

"Nya! Hontou?" Kikumaru asked and looked at Fuji with big inquiring eyes. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Hontou." Fuji replied, his trademark smile never faltering.

"USOTSKI!" Everyone barked at Fuji while the tennis prodigy merely flashed an innocent look.

"Why aren't you practicing? Get back to work!" The familiar baritone voice of a rather annoyed Tezuka intervened.

He eyed the two late comers with a stern look. Fuji smiled at Tezuka sweetly while Reiko blushed furiously and bowed her head down in shame. Fuji smirked at Reiko's reaction, _almost_ satisfied.

"30 Laps around the school for being late." Tezuka said sternly. Reiko looked up to find the same, impassive look in Tezuka's face. Her eyes started to water. Now, Fuji truly felt contented.

/He hates me! No! Tezuka-buchou! It was all Smiley's fault!/ Reiko thought in despair. Her thoughts were interrupted by "Smiley".

"Hai, Tezuka-buchou." said Fuji in a teasing tone as he started to run his laps. He could have sworn he saw Tezuka's eye twitch before turning away contented.

"Demo... You have to finish your laps in 20 minutes, otherwise..." A deep voice interrupted.

"You'll have to drink this." Inui held out a clear bottle with glowing neon green liquid, leaves and stones seemed to float inside the water.

Tezuka felt another migraine coming as he pushed this glasses up by the bridge.

Reiko recovered to see Fuji halfway through his second lap. /I can't let him show me up in front of Tezuka-buchou. And I don't think I want to drink something radioactive either./ She grimaced at the sight of what Inui presented.

Reiko dashed to catch up to Fuji. Everyone was bewildered when a thick dust cloud enveloped the tennis grounds. When the cloud cleared, everyone wondered where Reiko had gone.

"Everyone! 10 laps around the school!" Tezuka commanded as everyone groaned. He made the bludgers taste his wrath for slacking, and giving him a migraine.

**--Laps--**

Reiko saw Fuji was only a few metres away so she sped up to overtake him. When she had done so, she flashed a victory sign and smirked.

"Ne Hasegawa-san... What's the hurry?" Fuji asked innocently as he popped up beside Reiko.

"Eep!" Yelped Reiko from shock."When did you-?" Reiko was interrupted as she saw the regulars and her two friends and Kaita the giant from a few metres away. They heard a high pitched static sound before a deep voice, husky began to talk.

"Inui." Everyone muttered dryly, Ayumi sighed in delight. She wondered why everyone was so spooked by him, with his deep masculine voice, perfectly built body, mysterious character. Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of her, although she still denied it, crush.

"To let everybody know..." Everybody looked to Inui's direction to see him holding a microphone to his mouth, his left arm was behind his back. "If you do not finish the following 10 laps around the school in 3 minutes, you'll all have to drink _this_." Everyone's face turned pale when they saw the bottle Inui held up earlier.

"Inui Vegetable Juice" Inui announced proudly, his glasses glimmering as he cackled. Everyone scrambled on their feet, threatened to start their laps.

"Saa... I can't wait to try it." Fuji said excitedly. Reiko flashed him an odd look, like a potato just sprouted out of his head. She thought she hoped Fuji choke on the stones floating on the rancid concoction if he were to drink it.

Everyone heaved heavily as they finished their 10th lap around the school. Everyone barely finished before the allotted time. The girls went to a separate court while the guys settled on the other side. They pitied Fuji and Reiko, who still had 17 more laps to go.

"Yumi-chan! Doesn't Oishi-kun look hot when he's sweaty? Chiharu asked her friend pervertedly while her eyes remained on a panting Oishi, his shirt sticking lightly to torso from perspiration. Ayumi merely rolled her eyes.

After finishing their laps and stretching, Fuji and Reiko went to separate ends to have being their technical training.

"Reiko-chan!" Ayumi greeted the raven as whilst approaching. "Wanna hit?" She asked, eager. She grinned when she saw her friend put her hand up, the index finger protruding, as if requesting to be given a minute.

"Why-huff-not-huff." Reiko replied in between breaths. "Just-huffhuff-let me catch my-huff-breath." Reiko puffed.

After 5 minutes, Reiko hopped on the end court with her friend to have a light hit up.

"Took you long enough." Ayumi said dryly.

Ryuzaki-sensei observed the pale, raven-haired girl who was now red from all the running.

"Fuji." Ryuzaki-sensei called on the tennis prodigy as she saw him pass by.

"Yes?" Fuji asked the old coach.

"What do you think of Reiko-chan? I know she just started but she show promise, ne?" asked Ryuzaki-sensei, the two now watched the bespectacled girl on the end court.

"She shows great potential. It's a shame..." Fuji paused as he watched the girl they spoke of lob a ball that flew high over the fence. "It's not the sport she's truly passionate about." He finished.

Reiko was now sheepishly rubbing the back of her head as she hit a backhand drive that went in... the next court...

"Is that all Fuji-kun?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked, urging the tennis prodigy to say more.

"Ah... Well, she relies too much on her wrist. That should be corrected before she ends up injuring it. Her strokes look a bit awkward too, perhaps because of badminton. All in all, she has lots more to work on, it's a good thing she has a natural talent for grasping things quickly." The prodigy finished.

"I see... I personally think she needs private training." Ryuzaki-sensei felt excited at how much progress Reiko can make with a personal tennis instructor. She then glanced over to the regulars and eyed a certain short boy who wore his trademark white hat down.

/Those two.../She thought while focusing her attention back to Fuji.

"Yes, I think that will be of great benefit to her." Fuji said thoughtfully, oblivious to the mischievous grin that was now on elder coach's face.

"Okay, well thank you Fuji-kun, you can go back to practice now." Ryuzaki-sensei instructed. Fuji merely nodded and went to where his team mates were while an unsuspecting Tezuka walked by.

"Ah... Tezuka, just the one I wanted to see." Ryuzaki-sensei called, an ominous grin on her face.

Tezuka stopped to face the aged coach. "Yes sensei?" His impassive expression remained the same as he waited for the aged coach to speak, ignoring the eerie sense of foreboding he felt upon seeing the mischievous look on his coach's face.

"How do you feel about personally training someone with great potential? I know you're very busy, but it would contribute greatly to the team." The elderly coach asked, her wise eyes looked hopeful.

Tezuka thought for a moment.

/Sensei has a point. Unlocking Echizen's true potential would greatly benefit the team and Echizen himself. If I were to pass down the team to Echizen, I guess I might as well prepare him for it./

"If you think it's for the benefit of the team." Tezuka agreed dully.

"Really?! That's great then!" Ryuzaki-sensei exclaimed happily, surprised at the boy's quick compliance. "I thought you'd think twice before agreeing to coach a girl!" continued the elated coach.

"Aa..." Tezuka, although his demeanour remained the same, felt a wave of confusion within him. "A girl?" Tezuka asked still in his usually mundane state, making the question sound more like a statement.

"Why yes. What did you think?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked, slightly confused. "Well, I guess I'll inform Reiko-chan." Ryuzaki-sensei scurried away before Tezuka could change his mind.

Tezuka stiffened, if he could be anystiffer, at what he had gotten himself into. He felt his migraine climaxing when he knew there was no more turning back from the responsibility handed to him by his coach.

**--Where the girls are--**

"Seriously Reiko-chan, you played so well yesterday. What's with all the 'outs' today?" Ayumi asked skeptically. The brunette was astounded that the probability of her friend being able to execute a decent return today was a meagre one out of ten.

"I don't know... It seems harder to control right now." Reiko replied, confused at why all her shots were going out.

"Maybe Ayumi-chan should take it easy on Hasegawa-san" A low voice suggested.

The two followed the sound, and traced the epicentre of the 'mini-earthquake' and found the towering Kaita approaching.

"You aren't the best female player in school for nothing." Kaita said in a matter-of-factly tone.

Reiko looked at Ayumi in disbelief, then, turned to her towering team mate. "The best female player in school? Aren't you the captain?" Reiko asked Kaita, cynical.

"Ayumi-chan here isn't exactly Ms. Responsibility." Chiharu interjected, inviting herself to another conversation. "We decided that the most responsible one should be captain, hence, Keiko-chan. Besides, now that we've merged with the boys' team, Tezuka-kun is practically captain now." She finished, smirking upon seeing the look of realization strike her friend's pallid face.

Reiko thought for a moment and realized that Ayumi isn't exactly the most reliable person in their team. Heck, Ayumi and 'responsibility' were cosmos apart.

_Flashback (Wednesday, Biology in 3-6)_

_Everyone looked up to find a panting Ayumi open the door to class 3-6 as she came 15 minutes through first period Biology, her uniform looked muddled, the pink bowtie pinned crookedly on her uniform. _

"_Sumimasen sensei. I set my alarm last night for 7:00 am but I forgot to turn the switch on!" Ayumi bowed down to show she was sincerely sorry for being late. _

_The class giggled and the teacher looked at the class warningly. He accepted the apology from his student and motioned her to come in. _

"_I gotta use that one on my wife whenever I come late to dinner." He joked to erase the guilty look on his student's face._

_Honda-sensei was one of the few cool teachers in Seigaku, too bad he was a junior homeroom teacher, the senior teachers could use his contagious sense of humour and understanding personality._

_Ayumi took her seat and faced Chiharu with puppy dog eyes._

"_Ne, Chiharu-chan, we're friends right?" Ayumi asked, trying to look as adorable as possible. Chiharu already knew what her friend wanted._

"_Just so we keep track, you owe me: one red ballpen, 2 green highlighters, a box of coloured pencils, a pair of scissors, a mini stapler, a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. You can add a silver Parker pen on your 'tab'." Chiharu stated flatly as she handed her friend a silver Parker pen with her name engraved on it._

"_Arigato Chiharu-chan! You're the best!" thanked Ayumi, a little too loudly as took the pen from her friend._

"_Aww... I thought I was the best!" Honda-sensei interrupted. Ayumi realized she'd spoken to loudly and bowed her head to the annoyed stares her classmates were giving her. _

_Her eyes grew wider as she saw a stack of papers, that seemed to look like a test on top of her desk. She looked at her teacher with a petrified look, her jaw ajar._

"_Don't tell me you need to borrow answers for the test as well, Takano-san?" The biology teacher teased as he turned back to "Archie's Weird Mysteries"._

_End of Flashback_

"Reiko-chan?" Ryuzaki-sensei snapped a finger in front of the pallid girl's face, wondering why she hasn't replied after being called more than three times.

The aged coach kept calling the bespectacled girl until the latter finally decided to come back to the real world.

"H-hai?" Reiko answered, taken aback by the finger that suddenly snapped in front of her face .

Ryuzaki-sensei smiled, half-smug and half-relieved. "Ah... I'm glad you finally decided to join us." She teased.

"Could you come with me for a moment?" The tennis coach requested while motioning the raven-haired girl to follow her toward the guys' courts. Reiko merely nodded, dumbstruck, and proceeded to towing behind the pink-clad coach. Her girlfriends could only stare with curiosity.

As they walked closer and closer their destination, Reiko felt her cheeks burn when she realized _who_ it was they were heading toward. The ever-stoic Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"T-Tezuka-san?" stuttered Reiko as they approached the nonchalant captain. Her cheeks turned tomato red when the said person eyed her with his trademark unnerving stare.

"Reiko-chan, I noticed your natural gift for tennis, maybe even athletics in general, but I can't ignore the fact that you still have a lot more to work on, especially if you were to play in the interschool competitions." Ryuzaki-sensei brusquely began, not wanting to waste time going around in circles. Reiko nodded stiffly.

"That is why I have assigned Tezuka-kun to personally coach you for a few weeks." Ryuzaki-sensei finished. The bright crimson flush on the usually pale girl's face quickly turned pale blue upon hearing the tennis coach's revelation.

"P-p-personally c-coach?" stuttered a bewildered Reiko. Reiko turned to the reserved tennis captain, who all this time, who has, all this time, remained silent. "Is this true, Tezuka-san?" Her jaw would've detached from her face upon seeing the stoic boy's curt nod.

"Aa..." was all stolid tennis captain said as he remembered how he got into the whole ordeal in the first place. Now his migraine was peaking.

"Well then, I guess I'll leave the two of you to talk about it." And all too-quickly, the pink-clad tennis coach was back monitoring the girls' team training, a good hundred metres away.

"A-anou..." Reiko stammered, blushing furiously when she realized she'd be having 'alone time' with the Seigaku tennis captain.

"Hasegawa-san." Tezuka began, sensing the girl's unease. "I've decided I'll leave Oishi in charge of after-school practice on Mondays and Fridays to train you personally." He monotonously stated, while sternly examining his 'trainee-to-be' from head to toe.

"A-are you sure Tezuka-san? I don't want to be a problem." Reiko stuttered, embarrassed that Tezuka's regular routine would be disrupted by her private sessions with him.

"Why not hold it during the days when we don't have tennis practice?" Reiko asked, relieved that she didn't stammer that time. She remembered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays were still free of tennis practice.

Right after asking, the pale girl's face turned into a grimace as she remembered something of grave importance. /Ack! I have badminton training those days!/She overlooked the fact that her training schedule for badminton had changed since their move to Tokyo. Reiko panicked, silently hoping that her 'personal instructor' would turn down her suggestion.

/Do I really want to give up 2 days of training for a private session with Tezuka?/She contemplated when she heard the said boy clear his throat to speak.

"I'd rather regular training days be personal training days, and free days be kept free." Being the responsible youth that he is, Tezuka preferred to keep his and Reiko's free days for schoolwork and other imperative matters. As much as he'd want to play tennis every day, he knew that the balance between his sport and academics must be maintained.

**--Meanwhile--**

Kikumaru was in the middle of 'target practice' when he spotted something that broke his concentration. He did not notice the incoming ball that charged straight toward his, now cat-like, face.

"Concentrate Eiji!" Inui reprimanded, noticing the redhead's mind was not in the drill anymore. He traced the redhead's gaze and soon enough, his glasses glimmered in mischief upon seeing his usually solitary tennis captain engaged in a private conversation with the raven-haired newcomer.

"Eiji, let's take a 5 minute break." declared Inui. Kikumaru blinked, then smiled deviously, for he already knew what his bespectacled teammate meant.

"Ii data..." cackled Inui as he took a green notebook that read 'Tezuka Volume 4' from his bag. Sneakily, he and Kikumaru headed to a nearby bush, hoping they could use it to conceal their presence as they eavesdrop on their objects of interest.

"Shhhh..." Inui heard a voice hiss as he got behind the bush. He then realized that his 6 teammates have already begun spying. Kikumaru's eyes grew wide.

"Nya! Since when were you here?!" He whined loudly. Suddenly he found himself being mangled by 6 and a half pairs of hands. One large hand, Momoshiro's, muffled his loud mouth.

"Tone down Eiji-senpai, you'll get us all caught!" Momoshiro shushed. "We just got here as well." He answered, before stuffing a tennis ball in his red-haired senpai's mouth making sure it remained shut, or rather, stuffed.

"Mada mada dane, senpais" Echizen chided disapprovingly at his supposed 'role models'. He couldn't believe even Oishi was pulled into stalking. Everyone silenced him with death glares before proceeding to listineing in.

"I don't want your studies to be affected, so we'll leave it at that." Tezuka explained monotonously. /It'll only be for a few weeks./He thought while walking to his bag to grab a pen and notepad.

"Alright, if you think its best."

Reiko felt relieved that she didn't have to sacrifice a day of badminton training. She ran to her bag and fished out her Blackberry then started typing something in.

"Here is my location of residence and connection number, we'll go somewhere most convenient for you." Tezuka was about to hand her the piece of paper with his details on it when Reiko held out a black device in front of him.

Kikumaru felt the ball fall out of his mouth as his jaw dropped.

"Anou... Do you mind typing it in here? I'm afraid I might lose it if it's on paper." Reiko said sheepishly while passing her Blackberry to Tezuka and taking the paper from him with her free hand.

Tezuka stared blankly at the device Reiko handed him. He held it up to his face delicately, like "L" from "Death Note"

"Anou... Perhaps, you want me to show you how to use it?" Asked Reiko hesitantly sensing Tezuka's... cluelessness. She smiled when Tezuka nodded, the stern expression was back on his face. She wrote something on the piece of paper Tezuka gave her before giving it back to him.

"Here are mine." She said simply before resuming to 'teach' Tezuka the principles of Blackberry use.

Kikumaru's and Momoshiro's shoulders began to shake. Everyone held them down before they started laughing out loud. THE Tezuka Kunimitsu didn't know how to use a Blackberry!

Sakuno Ryuzaki was looking for the freshman tennis prodigy when she walked by a shaking bush. She walked behind it and saw Ryoma and the rest of the Regulars holding down a struggling Momoshiro and Kikumaru.

"Ryoma-kun?!" She exclaimed puzzled and surprised at the sight of the person she's been looking for.

Tezuka looked over to see an astonished Sakuno and the rest of his team struggling to hold down Momoshiro and Eiji, who both looked like they were having seizures.

Reiko felt her eye twitch behind her glasses again. /What the hell are they doing?/ She thought to herself, then shrugged deciding she didn't really want to know.

"I guess I'll see you then, Tezuka-san." She bowed and blushed again before leaving to resume training.

Everyone let go of Momoshiro and Kikumaru, then stiffened when they saw their captain shut his eyes in irritation.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! NYAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Kikumaru and Momoshiro hysterically. Kikumaru had a hand on his stomach and his index finger pointed at Tezuka, while Momoshiro clutched his stomach as he roller on the floor laughing.

"Here is my _location of residence_ and _connection number_." Momoshiro recounted Tezuka's line, trying hard to impersonate their impassive captain's monotonous voice and stern expression. "Whatever happened to: 'Here's my number. Call me?!' continued Momoshiro while laughing hysterically at his old-fashioned captain. He never thought their tennis captain as the helpless type when it came to picking up girls.

"Ne T-Tezuka! Hehe-Who would've- bwahahaha-expected you to- hihihahaha- not know how to use modern – NYAHAHAHAHA- technology!!" Kikumaru said in between outbursts, thinking how primitive Tezuka was to not know how to use a Blackberry.

He picked up a stray twig and held it delicately ("L" style), mocking the way Tezuka held the Blackberry. He cackled harder when he mentally pictured Tezuka in a caveman suit, carefully holding the black gadget.

Everyone paled and felt all the blood running through their veins drain when they saw two veins pop on Tezuka's forehead while his right eye twitched uncontrollably. No one messes with Tezuka, especially not when he had a migraine.

"Eeep!" Kikumaru squealed in horror.

"Everyone! 50 Laps around the school! Eiji, Momoshiro, 100 LAPS! NOW!" Tezuka barked while his team scrambled to get away from the angered captain. They found themselves facing the wrath of Tezuka's laps for the second time that day.

Inui ran his laps while maniacally scribbling all the data he'd gathered on his green notebook.

"Ii data..." Inui cackled, euphoric despite having to run laps.

/You just made school much more interesting, Hasegawa Reiko./ No one noticed an alarmingly disturbing smile creep on Seigaku's resident sadist's face.

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**Author's Notes:**

I hope you liked this one. It ended up being a long chapter too.

HAHA! I can imagine Tezuka being technology literate and all, I just don't think of him as one who knows how to use a Blackberry.

An 'Omake' chapter up next! Just a little break from all the chaos in Seigaku.

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	7. Omake Chapter

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**This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!**

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**Author's Notes (READ THIS BEFORE YOU PROCEED!): **

I've just enabled 'anonymous review' for readers who don't have an account. If you wanna throw comments or FLAME me, click away!

This is an 'omake' chapter, completely unrelated to the story. Feel free to imagine Fuji and Reiko in chibi or super deformed states.

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**Chapter 7**

Omake Chapter 1: Fuji's Secret Life

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**Let's take a little break from the story to have a look at Fuji's secret life...**

**--Hasegawa Residence (Sunday)--**

Cuckooroockooo!

A distant crow from a tone-deaf rooster disturbed a slumbering Hasegawa Reiko from the greatest dream of her life. She put her glasses on and grabbed her alarm clock to check for the time. 10:00 am. She put the clock down on the bedside table before scratching her head groggily.

"10:00?! NANIIIIII?!"

Reiko grabbed her Rey Mysterio alarm clock once again to double check. 10:01 am, it read. Reiko dropped her alarm clock in shock. She had missed the first hour of badminton training. She moaned in frustration as she contemplated if it was worth travelling to the other side of the city to catch, what would be, 30 minutes left of training. She decided against it and got out of bed.

She marvelled at how 'tidy' her room looked. Her school bag was on the floor, books stuck out of the bag and some scattered on the floor. Her clothes were everywhere except in the closet. Her eyes brightened as she spotted her favourite orange top hanging loosely over her desk lamp. Her laptop looked like it's been used as a tray for food.

"This is better than before." Reiko muttered. She stifled a yawn while scratching the back of her head.

True enough, before, her room looked like a tiny warehouse with all the boxes cluttered inside. Now she could see through the window. She was mentally praising herself for doing a 'good job' in cleaning her room when a noise interrupted her.

TAKTAKTAKTAKTAKTAK!

She traced the source of the sound curiously and found herself staring out her window. Her glasses nearly cracked upon seeing what was outside. Her face turned blue when she recognised the familiar figure of her arch nemesis ahead. Her window was _directly_ across the sadistic tensai's.

Reiko regained composure when she realised the boy was yet to see her spying on him. He seemed preoccupied. She adjusted her glasses by the stem and squinted her eyes a little to get a better view. Her face cracked a devious smile upon her discovery.

**--In Fuji's Room-- **

"Saa Ramon-kun, doesn't Dolores-chan look pretty in her new dress?" Fuji asked in an overjoyed tone as he finished fitting a dress on his "she-cactus".

"Why yes Fuji-kun, but I think she'll look prettier with a hat." Fuji answered himself in a deep, masculine voice while he moved a pot of, what seemed to be, a cactus wearing a chequered, red, polo shirt and dark sunglasses.

"You flatter me too much, Ramon-kun." This time, Fuji spoke with a high, feminine voice as he moved a pot of cactus wearing what appeared to be a bikini.

It seemed as though Fuji was playing "Barbie Dress Up" with 2 pots of cacti wearing ridiculously hand-made outfits.

"Saa... You two play nice while I go make Dolores-chan a new hat. I'll be back soon!" Fuji left, excited, as he went to the end of his long study desk. He sat down in front of a black sewing machine and prepared to sow a white and red floral cloth.

"Dolores-chan will be so pretty when I finish making her new hat." Fuji enthused, hands clasped together and eyes twinkling in delight, before he started sewing something with his handy-dandy sewing machine.

From afar, a snickering Reiko eyed her prey. / This is too good. I must capture this on video./ Reiko snickered before ransacking her recently 'tidied' room for her trusty video camera. After she found the palm sized device, in the rubbish bin, Reiko dashed hurriedly to the window, not wanting to let a good opportunity pass her by. Turning the camera 'on', she zoomed in and continued to watch.

Fuji's eyes twinkled in delight as he held up the miniature hat he laboured over. He joyfully skipped to where his two cacti sat.

"Tadaa!" He declared proudly. "Ne Dolores-chan, you'll be the most beautiful of them all." He fit the hat on his beloved cactus carefully, making sure none of its thorns were pulled off in the process.

"Sugoi, Fuji-kun! Now Dolores-chan looks perfect!" Fuji voiced in a manly tone once again as he bobbed the "male" cactus up and down.

"Kawaii!" Fuji exclaimed. He grabbed the two pots of cacti and brought them over to what looked like a mini fashion ramp. He gently placed the 2 pots in position and popped a Nikon digital camera out of nowhere. Consecutive flashes of light emanated from the tennis prodigy's room.

"That's it Ramon-chan! Flaunt it!" Fuji encouraged his male cactus as he crazily took photos.

"Dolores-chan, you're a natural!" Fuji frenzied over the female cactus as he continued taking photos.

Reiko cackled psychotically from her bedroom window. / Who would've thought Fuji would actually be good for something? This is definitely more interesting than training! / Reiko quickly forgot the disappointment in missing badminton training as she continued to spy on the unsuspecting lad.

"You two are the best cacti in the world!" Fuji burst out as he picked up both of his beloved cacti.

/ One must know their enemy before they defeat them./ She thought.

The following scene drained the colour from her already pale face. Reiko saw Fuji pick up the two pots of cacti and hugged them tightly, affectionately rubbing his cheek against the thorny plants. Fuji took out the needles from his cheek one by one, the delightful smile never faltering on his face. Reiko's jaw dropped when she saw each hole on his skin heal as soon as he plucked out each thorn.

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**Author's Notes:**

Chapter 8 on the way! I'm might not be updating as "often". The reason I update really quickly is coz I wanna finish the story before school starts, which is in 2 weeks. I doubt I can finish the story by then! haha!

That's all for now.

**Please don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	8. Mondays are hell days!

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**This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!**

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**Author's Notes: **I'm running out of words. Online thesauruses are annoying, and I can't rely on MS word too. I feel like I'm overusing a few words. I should really get a thesaurus. Oh well... Hope you like this one.

**UPDATE: **

I'm so happiiiiii! Thanks for all the positive reviews guys. And the readers who said they're getting confused with the pairing, that means I'm doing a good job! LOL! Sorry if I'm confusing though...

LOL itssoMelissa-- who knows, I might make it Tezu/Fuji... despite the fact I'm "NOT a big fan" of Yaoi...

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**Chapter 8**

Mondays are hell days.

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**--Tokyo, Japan (Monday)--**

It was yet another Monday in Tokyo, Japan. The sun shined radiantly, the birds chirped cheerfully, the faint smell of rain lingered in the air from the slight morning drizzle. It seemed like Mother Nature decided to brighten up Tokyo and its inhabitants, to prepare them for the start of another...

Hell week.

Yes, Monday signalled it was again time for work. Students had to go to school and study tirelessly, in hopes it would prepare them for the real world, the 'adult' society that demanded one to slave—work—for meagre income that would barely pay taxes, mortgages, food and what-nots. The citizens of Tokyo refused nature's early greeting as they slumbered in the privacy of their homes.

VOOOOOOOOM!

The sound of a hair dryer seemed to have awakened the inhabitants of the Hasegawa household. Hasegawa Reiko, unlike the rest of the people in Tokyo, hummed a merry tune as she blow-dried her hair. Reiko has been up since the crack of dawn. Heck, she never slept at all. It was not because she had morning practice, it was cancelled. It was because she did not feel the need to sleep. Time seemed longer as she counted down how many hours were left till her first, personal, training session with Seigaku's famous tennis captain. She grew restless at every second.

"Reiko! What's that racket?!" A disgruntled Mr. Hasegawa knocked furiously on the bathroom door. He had only been sleeping for three hours, when the deafening sound of the hair dryer was heard.

_Flashback_

_It was 10:00 in the evening, the usual lights-out time in the Hasegawa residence. Mr. Hasegawa snuggled to his wife in bed as he positioned himself to sleep. He turned off the lights and shut his eyes when—_

"_AAAAAAH!"_

_Mr. Hasegawa scrambled to get up and ran to the sound of a woman's shrill_ _shriek._

"_Reiko! What happened?!" A worried Mr. Hasegawa flew in his lounge/home-theatre room with a golf club._

"_Eh? Otou-san? What's with the club?" Reiko looked at her shaken father with a puzzled look._

_Mr. Hasegawa saw his daughter sitting in front of his big-screen screen T.V., sound system at full blast. Reiko was watching "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". A vein popped on the displeased man's forehead._

"_What are you doing? Are you playing around with my system? I told you not to touch it without my permission!" He bellowed at his 'insolent' daughter. Reiko only shrugged and resumed watching._

"_I'm watching a horror movie." Reiko said impassively, her eyes glued to the screen._

"_I can see that. At this hour? It was light's out 5 minutes ago." Mr. Hasegawa reprimanded through gritted teeth._

"_I couldn't sleep. So I decided to pass the time." Reiko answered simply, not bothering to look at the man who raised her._

"_Can't you watch that in your computer?" Mr. Hasegawa asked annoyed._

"_Otou-san, it's a horror movie. Hellooooo You HAVE to watch it in big screen WITH surround-sound! That's like common sense." Reiko retorted impudently at her father._

"_Don't stay too close to the t.v., you know that's bad for your eyes." Mr. Hasegawa reminded her daughter of the "Dangers of Watching T.V."_

"_Uh-huh..." Reiko replied with a brush-off tone._

_Realizing it was hopeless, Mr. Hasegawa left his daughter with her horror movie after telling her to turn it down a notchReiko just gave him a 'Can-you-still-not-connect-the-dots?' look before he sighed and headed back to the master's bedroom._

"_I knew I was too slack in raising her." muttered a frustrated Mr. Hasegawa, dissatisfied at how his daughter turned out._

_Mr. Hasegawa couldn't bring himself to sleep so he decided to finish some paperwork. When he finally felt the urge to hit the sack and went back to their room. He'd just found the perfect position when a blinding light occupied the bedroom._

"_Argh." Mr. Hasegawa looked over to his wife to find her sleeping peacefully with her trusty ear plugs and eye shade _(a/n: that shade thing you put on over eyes when you sleep)_. Reiko came in their room and headed to the master's bathroom. She flicked all the lights on before heading to the door._

"_Reiko... It's 3am, what are you doing?" Mr. Hasegawa felt his blood start to boil._

"_I'm keeping all the evil spirits out. Don't turn it off or they'll possess you! The portal opens at 3 am you know." Reiko warned her dad of the supernatural before heading outside to turn the rest of the lights in the house on. Mr. Hasegawa stood up to turn off the lights when he found that the switch had been superglued._

"_REIKOOO!"_

_Mr. Hasegawa tried to sleep with the lights on. When he figured he couldn't, he went out of their room to find a dark place. He spotted the linen closet and remembered it didn't have any lights in it. He positioned his pillow and blanket and lay down in the big but stuffy closet. He struggled to find the right position for hours, he sighed happily when he did. Not long, a sound of what seemed like a hair dryer rang through the house._

"_I would've had better luck in Krypto's dog house if it weren't wet."_

_End of Flashback_

"7 more hours till we get some alone time." Reiko counted devotedly as another hour went. It was now 8:00 in the morning. She brushed and blow dried her hair some more. When she felt satisfied with herself, she went out the bathroom to grab some breakfast. She found her mom smile sweetly at her as she headed in their dining area for breakfast.

"Ohayou!" Reiko greeted her mom good morning before turning to face her dad. Her hairs stood up when she was greeted by dishevelled hair, dark thick beard and big, black eye bags. Mr. Hasegawa looked at his daughter lifelessly.

"W-what's wrong with otousan?" Reiko was aghast as she asked her mom. Mrs. Hasegawa gave her daughter a clueless look and shrugged.

After grabbing some breakfast, Reiko headed outside. It was 8:30 am, she had a good 30 minutes before school. She smiled as she realized there was enough time to water her lemon plant and feed her dog.

"Ohayou, Krypto-kun!" The fluffy, white dog wagged its tail excitedly at the sight of its master as it greeted her with a cheerful bark. Reiko patted her dog and gave it its food before getting the watering can. The loyal dog followed its master as she headed to the front yard and stopped in front of a brown pot.

"Ohayou, Mr. Lemon! You'll be 2 years old tomorrow. Won't you be sprouting soon?" Reiko poured some water over a soil-filled pot with no trace of anything green.

_Flashback_

_2 years ago, a bored Reiko sucked on a lemon as she tried to think of anything to do. She cracked a bright smile when she spat out a lemon seed._

_End of Flashback_

Reiko's eyes twinkled at the distant memory.

"Hasegawa-san, did I hear you say the pot is 2 years old?"

Reiko's bright smile instantly turned into a scowl at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. She looked over to the other side of the fence to see the ever-smiling face of Fuji Syusuke.

"I was talking to my plant! Teme!" Reiko snapped, her blood pressure rising.

"What plant? I don't see any in the pot?" Fuji asked innocently.

"Mr. Lemon is a..." Reiko thought of a word to describe her precious plant, she took the pot and covered it with her hands so it wouldn't hear what she was about to say.

"He's a late bloomer."

She looked at 'Mr. Lemon' to check if it heard anything. She convinced herself it hadn't before turning to leave.

"Saa... Maybe you're not treating it properly." Fuji suddenly remembered his beloved cacti as he walked over to Hasegawa territory to have a look at Reiko's 'plant'.

"Woof! Woof!" The huge, fluffy dog barked at Fuji as he 'crossed-over'. Fuji stopped and motioned the dog to come to him.

"Hah! Krypto would never submit to someone like YOU, ne Krypto-kun? Go ahead! Bite his head off!" Reiko commanded her dog with an evil smile. The dog tilted its head at its master curiously before running toward Fuji.

"That's—" Reiko's jaw dropped when she saw her 'loyal' dog lie down on the ground, as if motioning Fuji to stroke its tummy.

"Wrong! Bad dog! Don't fraternize with the enemy! Traitor!" Reiko reprimanded her 'faithful' dog angrily, only to have it look at her with a questioning stare. It turned to the brown-haired boy and gave his hand a friendly lick before lying down on its back again. The tensai stroked the dog's belly.

"That's a good boy. You're smart, ne?" Fuji patted the dog as he praised it for making a 'good decision'. Fuji took out a tennis ball from his racquet bag and moved it in front of the dog's face. He smiled to see it stand up and eye the ball's movement anxiously, wagging its tail excitedly.

"Saa... Hasegawa-san, you seem to have a smart pet. Can he fetch?" Fuji asked in a curious tone.

"Che... Of course he can! He's probably smarter than you!" Reiko sounded appalled. She turned her back on Fuji with an uninterested look as she started to stalk off to Seigaku.

/ How dare he question my Krypto's intellect?! /Reiko thought furiously that she didn't notice the disturbing smile that spread across the sadistic tensai's face.

"Then, can you think fast Hasegawa-san?" Fuji threw the ball at the unsuspecting Reiko who caught the ball without looking. She smirked and turned around to throw the ball back at Fuji.

"HAH! Is that—". Her jaw dropped when she saw her 3 foot hound charge towards her in excitement. No, Hasegawa Reiko apparently cannot think fast.

CRASH!

Reiko crashed into a bush as her dog jumped her for the bright yellow ball. The dog seemed satisfied when it got the bright tennis ball from its 'master'. It ran back to Fuji to get praised as he handed him the ball.

"Saa... So he really is clever, Hasegawa-san." Reiko struggled to rid her uniform of the leaves that stuck to her uniform, the saps making it stickier and harder to take off.

"We better hurry Hasegawa-san, I think we have maths first period." Fuji reminded her with a contented smile as he walked past the rundown girl.

**--Seigaku: Class 3-6, First period... MATHS!--**

"Kikumaru! Would you be so kind and show the class how to answer the question on the board?" The cracking voice of Sato-sensei asked his "favourite" student "sweetly".

"NYAAA!" Kikumaru squealed in horror when he saw what he had to do.

An isosceles triangle was drawn on the board.

In Kikumaru's head, 2 sides of the triangle have numbers outside it, and 3 numbers with circles superscripted on its right were found in the corners of the triangle (a/n: -sighs- They're called angles, but Kikumaru doesn't know that). On top of the triangle, it read:

"Solve for 'X' using the cosine rule."

Kikumaru walked nervously to the board, bracing himself for what Sato-sensei would do to him this time. He glanced over the frail teacher and saw him stroking the hair on his mole with a disturbing grin. He grabbed the marker with quivering hands. Just as the marker touched the board the classroom door opened.

Everyone turned white at the sight before them. There stood a pale-faced girl who's blouse was stained with what looked like paw prints, a few leaves stuck out of her greasy-looking hair. Kikumaru dropped the marker AND his jaw at the 'person' that stood out the door.

"NYAAAA! J-j-j-ju-ju... JU-ON!" Kikumaru exclaimed in fear as he tried to look for an emergency exit, other than the door. He felt a slight feeling of relief when he saw a wide open window. Kikumaru didn't think twice before he jumped out the window of class 3-6, which happened to be on the fourth floor.

"Sumimasen Sato-sensei..." Reiko bowed stiffly as she apologised dully, not bothering to explain why she was late.

She discreetly glared at the root of her problem, who turned out to be the brown-haired boy that gave her a wave as he sat right next to her empty seat. Sato-sensei grinned menacingly at the opportunity for revenge.

"Hasegawa! Are you really trying to spite me?" The sensei questioned as he continued to stroke his mole hair.

"Well, seeing Kikumaru has... disappeared to the unknown... would you do us the favour of finishing what he started?" The bald teacher pointed to the question on the board before cracking a sadistic grin.

Reiko walked to the board and picked up a marker like a zombie. She answered the question with a dead expression before turning to her seat. The sensei fumed and his mole hair had stiffened, again.

"HASEGAWA!! TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!" The steaming teacher barked at his student. Reiko nodded lifelessly as she started to the principal's office robotically.

"Ne Yumi-chan, does that mean I shouldn't copy the answer on the board?" A clueless Chiharu asked her friend. Ayumi could only roll her eyes.

**--Recess at Seigaku (Females' Toilets)--**

As soon as the bell for recess rang, Ayumi and Chiharu dragged their filthy friend to the lavatory to get her fixed up.

"No punishment at all?" Chiharu questioned Reiko once more when she heard the bespectacled girl tell them she was let off for coming late to class with a warning.

"I'd pity you too if I saw you like that. How'd you manage to get yourself in that state anyway? Ayumi inquired as she brushed friend's raven hair. Reiko's eyes twitched behind her spectacles as she vividly remembered what happened earlier.

"I don't want to talk about it..." Reiko muttered through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry Reiko-chan! We'll get you fixed in no time!" Chiharu encouraged cheerfully as she took out the leaves that were still on her friend's hair. Reiko felt her mood lighten a bit when she thought of how lucky she was for having such good friends.

"Although I can't say I can do anything about your uniform... OR your passé hair sty—SMACK!" Ayumi slapped her 'lagging' friend's head as she started to rant about the other's lack of fashion sense.

"What was that for?!" Chiharu asked Ayumi irritably before looking back at her pale-faced friend who looked like all life had been sucked out of her.

"Ne, Reiko-chan, sorry I can't fix your face either, I forgot to bring make up." Chiharu continued to speak carelessly, oblivious to the fact she'd just brought back Reiko's foul mood.

"Aaaargh!" Reiko stomped away to leave her 'so-called' friends. She pushed the door so hard it almost flew off its bolts.

BANG!

Ayumi's and Chiharu's eyes bulged.

Reiko looked in horror as she realized she'd hit a person square on the face when she pushed the door with full strength.

"T-T-Tezuka-s-san?!" Reiko's face turned blue when she saw her precious buchou on the floor. She rushed over to the stoic captain worriedly. The girls who happened to pass by gaped in horror. Their precious "Tezuka-sama" had been physically abused.

"G-g-gomen ne T-Tezuka-san!" Reiko stretched her hand out to help Tezuka up.

"Aa..." Tezuka grabbed the outstretched hand when—

CRASH! Reiko was about to pull Tezuka up when the physical contact drained her body of all her strength. She fell forward and landed on... her object of affection. Everyone's jaw dropped. The girls all looked in horror. Their Tezuka-sama was no longer a "virgin".

"Daijoubu, Hasegawa?" Tezuka eyed the girl on top of him closely as he inspected for injuries. He was relieved to find none. Reiko blushed furiously when she realized how close she was to her precious coach.

Reiko got ready to stand up when—

CLICK and FLASH!

She heard the distinctive sound of a camera shutter and felt her eyes slightly blinded. They then started twitching once her vision finished adjusting.

"NYAAAA!" Kikumaru exclaimed, gawking as he watched the 'display'. Momoshiro's jaw was wide ajar, Echizen smirked, and the rest of the school population's eyes bulged out.

"Ii data..." Inui cackled madly as he wrote hysterically on his green notebook.

Tezuka cleared his throat and snapped Reiko out of her stupor. Reiko abruptly stood up and kept her head bowed down.

"Saa... Would you like a memento, Hasegawa-san?" Reiko's hands started to shake uncontrollably as they felt the need to throttle the distinguished sound of a deep, almost-feminine voice.

A mischievous smile was on Fuji Syusuke's face as he held out his Nikon digital camera to Reiko, motioning her to look. The feeling of embarrassment quickly faltered and the new feeling of anger seeped through her insides.

"What's everybody doing?!" Everyone fearfully went back to whatever they were doing at the warning voice of the stoic Tezuka.

"I didn't know that was your style, Tezuka." Fuji teased the impassive captain who felt his eye twitch at the remark.

"Ii... More data..." Inui was now really getting excited. By the way things were going; he would be able to fill a whole notebook with precious data within a day.

Tezuka pushed the bridge of his glasses up as if to regain composure. He should probably get an MRI scan soon, his migraines were becoming more frequent since the start of the term.

"G-g-gomen ne Tezuka-san!" Reiko bowed so low her head almost touched the floor. She looked up to find Tezuka's impassive face, when she saw half of it was darker. Reiko felt aghast.

"NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kikumaru cracked up laughing when he realized the door left a souvenir on Tezuka's usually blank face. Now it was half stoic, half red!

"BWAHAHAHAHA! Buchou's face looks like a tanning disaster!" Momoshiro pointed a finger at the 'souvenir' as he too started cracking up after Kikumaru. He just noticed the unusual uneven colour of their 'respected' buchou's face.

"FSSSSSH! URUSAI BAKERO! You'll pull everyone down with you!" Kaidoh hissed at Momoshiro for his insolence, he did not want to be punished for Momoshiro's stupidity.

"What did you say, MAMUSHI?!" Momoshiro barked. A deluge of colourful cuss words filled the hallway.

Tezuka tried to keep his calm demeanour and turned to the blue-faced Reiko. He adjusted his glasses once again.

"Aa... See you after school." He looked at the girl once more, and then eyed Fuji.

"Yudan sezu ni ikō." Tezuka walked off with his usual impassive face, leaving the poor Reiko in the hands of her highly intrigued friends and nosy regulars. As soon as the area was Tezuka-free, 10 figures leered over the helpless Reiko.

"That's right, Tezuka did tell me to take charge of practice on Mondays and Fridays for a few weeks." Oishi spoke out loud, everyone grew more curious.

"Reiko-chan, is there something you want to tell us?" Chiharu asked her friend with puppy dog eyes. Reiko seemed unfazed no matter how adorable her friend looked. She was still pissed at the earlier events. Everyone anxiously looked at Reiko when they saw her rub her chin in thought.

_Flashback_

_Reiko was about to go to bed when her mobile phone started ringing. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her spectacles when she read the caller I.D._

"_H-h-hello?" Reiko answered the line nervously._

"_Goodevening, Hasegawa-san." Reiko's heart started beating at a thousand beats per minute when she heard the well-known deep voice that echoed through the line._

"_T-Tezuka-san?" Reiko asked to make sure. She felt herself smile when she heard the person reply._

_Aa..." came the short reply._

"_Y-you wanted something?" Reiko curiously asked the voice on the other end, wondering why THE Tezuka Kunimitsu called her at that time of the night._

"_I'm sorry to bother you at this hour. I wanted to ask you to keep our personal training sessions a secret from Varsity and Regulars." Tezuka replied straight-forwardly._

"_Oh." Reiko replied disappointed. That was the longest Tezuka ever spoke to her and was a bit let down that it was about tennis. What did I expect? She thought to herself._

_Tezuka heard the slight disappointment in the girl's voice and decided to continue._

"_If the others found out, I'm afraid the training will no longer be... effective." Tezuka had a point. The Regulars and the Varsity would definitely keep pestering them if they knew about their one-on-one sessions. Reiko smiled as she marvelled at the captain's wisdom._

"_Of course." Reiko replied happily._

"_Then, 3pm tomorrow.Oyasumnasai Reiko heard the line click after the Tezuka bid her goodbye. Reiko felt restless the whole night._

_End of Flashback_

"No, not really..." Reiko turned her back on everyone to leave. She felt 20 hands pull her back.

"Mou, after all we've been through, the hardships we've endured together." Ayumi attempted to make her friend feel guilty.

"Che... What 'hardships'? It's only been 2 weeks." Reiko replied coldly. Ayumi pretended to look upset. "Not working Ayumi." Reiko remained unfazed.

"There is a 0 percent chance that Hasegawa-san will tell us anything." Inui stated knowingly.

"Urusai Inui! You're encouraging her!" Everyone yelled at Inui who cackled as he wrote down on his 'data' book.

"Mou, Reiko-senpai! We're team mates!" came Momoshiro's lame attempt.

"Uh, no we're not." Reiko crossed her arms stubbornly and looked away.

"Nya! Minna, don't pressure her! She'll tell us when she's ready! Ne, Rei-chan?" Kikumaru 'defended' his friend from her predators. "You know I'm always here, for anything, ne Rei-chan? Kikumaru gave Reiko one of his trademark hugs.

"Thank you Eiji." Reiko smiled at Kikumaru before turning around. "Not gonna happen." She started to walk away. Kikumaru's face fell not noticing that Echizen had sneaked a racquet to Kawamura.

"BURNING! COME ON BABY! OORYA!" Kawamura swung his racquet in the air like a barbarian in an attempt to intimidate the raven-haired girl. Reiko pinched Kawamura's arm just above the elbow and the 'Burning' boy's fire was extinguished.

"Ahaha..." Kawamura chuckled bashfully while rubbing his arm.

"Saa... I guess you leave us with no choice, Hasegawa-san." A devious voice called out to the bespectacled girl. She cautiously turned around and froze at what she saw. Everyone had an evil smile on their face as Inui held out a bottle of mud brown liquid. Reiko was about to make a run for it when strong sets of hands grabbed her.

Just when they were about to put the bottle in her mouth—

RIIIIIIING!

Reiko sighed in relief as the bell rang to signal the end of recess. Everyone involuntarily let her go at the sound of the bell. Reiko flashed a victory sign and smirked triumphantly before heading back to her classroom.

Everyone's face darkened in disappointment when they failed to get what they wanted.

"Mada mada dane, senpais." Echizen Ryoma picked the wrong time to speak as frustrated hands grabbed him from behind.

UWECKH!!

Ryuzaki Sakuno's pencil lead broke at a distant sound of someone retching.

"Ryoma-kun?"

**--Class 3-6: 6th Period Physics--**

"An example of Newton's third law of motion is a pen..."

Everyone was dumbfounded at what the seemingly distracted teacher had meant. How can a pen be an example of Newton's third law of motion?

"A pendulum, a pendulum." The seemingly distracted physics teacher clarified what he'd meant to his class. Everyone then nodded in realization as their teacher continued.

TAPTAPTAPTAPTAP

Reiko tapped her pen impatiently on her desk as she stared out the classroom window. In just a few minutes, 00:07:14:007 to be exact, she'll be starting her personal training with her precious 'Tezuka-buchou-sama'.

The horizontally challenged teacher's eye twitched uncontrollably. He cannot take the incessant tapping anymore. He walked towards the back of the class and stopped in front of his raven-haired student's desk. Everyone's eyes followed the heavy-set sensei attentively.

Their physics teacher was impossible to ignore. If you miss his eye-sore of a body, you definitely cannot ignore the stench of body odour that trailed right behind him. He taught of the modern advancements physics brought upon, but it seemed he was not aware that chemists have also come up with an important breakthrough, which is the oh-so important deodorant.

"An object in motion, stays in motion..." The teacher started again. Reiko wrinkled her nose and looked up to find her smelly physics teacher in front of her. She stopped tapping her pen on the table and the teacher continued to speak.

"Unless disrupted by a net force." He finished. Yes, the force of his putrid body odour was truly a powerful one that can even instantly stop an accelerating 18-wheeler from 50 miles away. The teacher smiled contentedly as he resumed his lecture without any disruption.

"Force causes object to both move and stay stationary. Gravity is the force on earth that pulls everything to the it's centre."

CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK

Reiko clicked her pen impatiently on her head as she continued her count-down. Pochani-sensei's eye twitched in-sync to the sound of each click. (a/n: Pochani when interpreted would be pocha2. Pochapocha is a Japanese word, that when translated to English, means "Chubby".)

"The simplest things would not work without gravity, not even a ballpoi—"

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGG!!

The class hurriedly dashed out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. They breathed heavily for fresh air, as if they were going to run out of oxygen in the next 5 seconds. Everyone heaved when a dust cloud suddenly zoomed through the corridor. Everyone scoffed. When the cloud cleared, they found their bespectacled classmate was gone, the red-headed Kikumaru was also nowhere in sight.

**--Seigaku Gates--**

Reiko patiently waited at their designated rendezvous spot. She tried hard to hide her excitement as she saw a familiar figure come into sight. She pushed her fringe back and dusted her muddled uniform like it would make it look any better. She waved at the nearing figure and smiled.

"..." Tezuka eyed the smiling Reiko with the same impassive expression. Reiko sweatdropped but then felt relieved when she found the dark half of Tezuka's face had lightened, slightly.

"Ahaha..." She mentally slapped herself when she realized she'd just chuckled out loud for no reason. She cleared her throat before deciding to speak again.

"How was school, Tezuka-buchou-sama." She could've sworn she saw Tezuka's eyes widen a few micrometres at the name she'd called him. It was that or her ridiculous question. She slapped herself on the head, not mentally this time, making her look weirder.

"A-a-anou..." She closed her eyes and mustered all her courage before continuing.

"Iknowaplacenearmyhousewecangoto." Reiko finished her statement in one breath, her cheeks felt like they were burning.

"Aa..." was all that came out from the ever-stoic captain of the Seigaku tennis club. Reiko sighed before she walked and led the way. They were oblivious to glimmering blue eyes that belonged to a certain redhead who was hiding inside a garbage bin.

"Nya!"

**--Tennis Grounds--**

Oishi decided to do a head count before starting training. He'd been informed by Ryuzaki-sensei that Reiko wouldn't be joining in the Monday and Friday training for other commitments. Tezuka also told him to take charge of Monday and Friday after school sessions for a few weeks. He knew something smelled fishy but it was not his business to pry.

/ So that leaves 11._ / _He looked at the players that gathered in the courts before starting.

"Varsity is complete. Eto... Echizen, Momo, Kaidoh, Taka, Inui, Fuji, myself. So that's... 10?" He looked over the players that gathered on the grounds once more and realized his doubles partner was missing. Oishi started to panic.

/ Where could he be? What if he's been kidnapped by fan girls? Or got hit by a truck? Or— /

Oishi's thoughts were disrupted by an all-too-familiar "Hoi".

"Eiji!" Oishi felt relieved as he saw a running figure that could only belong to Kikumaru.

"Hoi!" Kikumaru greeted his doubles partner cheerfully.

"Where were you? I thought something happened to you! And why do you smell like rotten eggs?" Oishi scolded the other half of the golden pair in a motherly-tone as he covered his nose in disgust.

"Nya? It's only been 2 minutes since practice started, mother Oishi!" Kikumaru tried to relax the overprotective fukubuchou.

"Ne Yumi-chan, doesn't Oishi-kun look so cute when he worries? It's like he's going to faint!" Chiharu excitedly watched her precious Oishi-kun from the end court.

"You think that's cute?" Ayumi shot her friend a weird look before shaking her head and went back to her stretching.

"I think Inui-san and Oishi-san will make a good couple." An unusually deep female voice chimed in. It was the gentle giant, Kaita Keiko. Chiharu and Ayumi looked at the giant like there was something weird about her—other than resembling a giant.

"Nya! Minna! I have interesting news!" Kikumaru exclaimed as he successfully gathered everyone's attentions.

"Buchou is on a date with Rei-chan right now!" Kikumaru stated more hyped up than ever. Everyone's eyes bulged out of their sockets, except Fuji.

"D-date-o?!" Momoshiro asked disbelievingly.

"Fshhh..." Kaidoh hissed as he went back to his routine with the look of disinterest. Everyone followed suit. It was not uncommon for Kikumaru to start a false rumour for he hastily jumped to conclusions all the time.

"Nya! It's true! I saw them with my own eyes." Now everyone's attention was fixed on Kikumaru, there was no question that he and Echizen had the best eyesight on the team.

"Are you sure?" Kawamura asked in his normal state. Kikumaru beamed and nodded.

"Hontou Eiji-senpai?" asked a now intrigued Momoshiro.

"Hontou, nya!" Kikumaru assured as he gloated.

"Ii data..." Inui quickly grabbed his trusty green notebook and started jotting like crazy.

"Are you sure Eiji?" Everyone turned to see the three Varsity members who held skeptical looks.

"Mou! How many times do I have to repeat myself?!" Kikumaru asked, getting frustrated by his teammates' questioning stares.

"Saa... Then there's only one thing to do." Everyone looked at the resident tensai in understanding.

"Follow them!" Everyone chorused. Oishi's palms started to sweat intensely.

"Minna! I don't think it's a good idea. It'll all put us in trouble with Tezuka." Oishi tried to convince the team to drop the idea.

"He has a point. Do we really want to anger our buchou?" Kawamura tried agreed as he tried to calculate how many laps their would-be furious buchou give them if he found them stalking him on his 'date'.

"Saa... What's wrong with looking out for them?" Fuji threw a rhetorical question as he tried to persuade his teammates that they'd merely be following them to make sure their buchou and new teammate remained safe.

"Fuji-senpai has a point, it's our responsibility to make sure our buchou and Reiko-senpai is safe." Momoshiro added.

"Nya Fujiko! I didn't know you cared so much!" Kikumaru marvelled at how "thoughtful" the tensai was. Everyone was finally convinced to proceed with the stalking idea.

"Lead the way Eiji." Inui initiated the redhead to guide them. Kikumaru stared at the data-man blankly.

"Nya? Why me?" Kikumaru asked naively. Everyone stared at Kikumaru outrageously.

"You were the one who told us they were on a date Eiji-senpai." Momoshiro answered starting to get confused.

"Eiji, you DO know where they went right?" Fuji now asked with a somewhat threatening voice.

"Nya? I saw them leave the school together so I ran to inform you guys! Nya!" Kikumaru beamed proudly, still marvelling at how great a friend he was to inform his teammates first instead of tailing the 'targets' by himself. Everyone fell to the ground.

"Mada mada dane, Eiji-senpai." Echizen told his confused senior emotionlessly as he went back to practice. Everyone did the same.

"Jeez... He got us all hyped up for nothing." blurted a disappointed Ayumi as she and the other 2 Varsity members also resumed training.

"Mou, weren't we going to follow them?" Kikumaru asked innocently.

"Urusai!" Everyone shut him up, feeling frustrated at Kikumaru for creating all the hype, then crushing them with his undeniable idiocy.

Kikumaru's face darkened as a cold breeze passed him by. He limply scampered to a desolate spot to practice by himself as all of his 'friends' ignored him for the rest of the practice.

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Notes: **This came out longer than I had intended. Please stay with me! Next Chapter: "One-on-one training."


	9. Monday's aren't so bad after all

* * *

**This is the rewritten version of Battle of the Tensais!**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I might be updating less frequently from now, but expect me to upload at least a chapter every week. SCHOOL IS ABOUT TO START! OH NOOO!!V-V

Also, instead of putting the title "One-on-one session." I decided to make it "Mondays aren't so bad after all"... It's nothing importants, just in case some are wondering.

**--**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Mondays aren't so bad after all.

* * *

**--Streets of Tokyo--**

Reiko sighed in relief when she spotted a familiar sphere shaped building a few metres ahead. She'd been sweating like a pig since she and her highly unemotional personal trainer left Seigaku grounds 25 minutes ago.

/ Finally. /Reiko felt at ease when they stopped in front of automated sliding doors that lead to the inside of a massive indoor sports centre, also known as the famous Tokyo Sports and Aquatic Centre. Reiko felt like she'd grown a few years older during the short time she spent alone with Seigaku's ever stoic tennis captain.

"We're here." Reiko declared.

Those were the first words she'd spoken since they left school for her personal training with the detached boy. She felt like her saliva had gone off from keeping her mouth shut for such a long period of time. Her walk with Tezuka wasn't exactly as interesting as she thought it'd be. Heck, it was dead boring. They walked to the sports stadium in total, uncomfortable silence. Courage seemed to abandon her whenever she tried to open her mouth to start a conversation and Tezuka's intimidating presence and seemingly limited set of vocabulary words didn't help at all.

"Aa..." came the expected passive reply from the stiff Seigaku captain.

"Th-this is the closest place I could find. I hope its good enough." Reiko fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke, not bothering to look up, worrying that Tezuka might be displeased.

"It's fine." Tezuka said dully. The two walked to the reception desk and booked a tennis court before proceeding to separate change rooms.

Reiko came out with her hair tied in a pony tail. Tezuka noticed how her hairstyle emphasized her oriental features as he continued to eye the raven-haired girl. She wore a white, dry-fit Yonex shirt with black lines, artistically printed on the sides; the Yonex logo displayed on the top-left side of the shirt while a small emblem of the Japanese Flag was just above it. The back side of the shirt had 'Hasegawa R.' boldly imprinted top and centre. Just below it read 'Japan' in slightly smaller text. She wore black Yonex skorts (skirt with shorts underneath) to go with her outfit.

To Reiko's surprise, Tezuka came out in the same colour theme, only his was the other way around. He wore a black Yonex polo shirt with white lines that were abstractly imprinted on the top-right side of the shirt. No, Tezuka did not wear skorts. He wore white Yonex shorts and a white armband that was pulled up just under his left elbow. Reiko couldn't help but notice how black only highlighted Tezuka's handsome features even more and made him look more mature as well.

They put their bags down on the bench after arriving on their designated court. Reiko observed her surroundings to familiarize herself with it. Each court was isolated into separately, the court had 3 concrete sides and the side with the entrance/exit door was made of glass. It was not the first time she's been to T.S.A.C., but this was the first time she'd been on their tennis courts.

She noted the female change room was just to the left of the glass door, the men's were further down the hall to it's the right. A drinking fountain was stationed in between the two change rooms. Reiko hoped the next hour and a half of training would be better than their 25 minute 'Walk of Silence'.

/ I'm gonna go crazy if I don't start talking soon! / Reiko could not take the deafening silence anymore. She gathered all her courage and inhaled heavily. Just as she was about to start a conversation, she saw Tezuka take out a skipping rope from his tennis bag. She closed her mouth immediately when she saw the stolid captain turn to her as he held out the grey Nike skipping rope.

"You can warm up with this. The court is too small for laps." Tezuka finally spoke his first words ever since they arrived at the sports centre. Reiko nervously took the skipping rope from his hand before obeying.

Skip. Skip. Trip.

Reiko nearly fell over just as she started skipping. Her right foot got caught in the long skipping rope when she jumped while flinging the rope overhead for another one.

"The rope is too long." Tezuka said flatly. He took the rope from the girl, unscrewed the lid on the handles and adjusted the lock to shorten the length of the skipping rope. He put the lid back on and handed the jump rope back to the bespectacled girl. Reiko started skipping, carefully, again.

"Your pace is too slow." Tezuka declared as he watched Reiko skip by the rate of 1 skip every 3 seconds. Reiko tensely nodded her head before increasing her rhythm.

"Do it for 2 minutes. Don't forget to stretch when you're done." Tezuka commanded as he watched the girl do as she was told.

Reiko's heart beat faster, not because of the skipping, but because Tezuka had finally started talking. Sure it was tennis-related, but it was better than nothing. She looked up to eye him once more when she found him take a black roll of cohesive tape from his 'magical' tennis bag.

Tezuka's stopwatch beeped to signal the end of two minutes and looked up to meet Reiko's curious face as he signalled her to stop skipping. Her once pale face was now totally red. The bespectacled girl packed the rope up neatly before walking towards her inexpressive coach with a curious look. Tezuka started to rip some tape off and stuck it to the concrete wall. When he was done, a black box contrasted against the white wall.

"Grab a racquet." Tezuka instructed emotionlessly, Reiko willingly obeyed. He inspected the way Reiko held her racquet, inwardly pleased when he found she held it the right way. He handed her a tennis ball and explained to Reiko what she had to do.

"You're walling for 5 minutes, keep the ball in the box to establish control." Tezuka stated insipidly. Reiko nodded her head obediently, even though she wasn't sure of what to do. She awkwardly positioned herself to hit a low forehand shot to the wall.

TOK!

The ball hit the ceiling at high-speed and bounced aimlessly around the tennis court. Reiko's face fell in disappointment as she failed to do what her precious "kateikyoushi" told her.

"Concentrate." Tezuka said passively. Reiko nodded, looking motivated as she prepared to hit the wall again. She kept her eye on the box before serving the ball once more.

WOOSH! TOKTOKTOK.

The ball bounced beside a crestfallen Reiko, this time, she didn't even hit the ball. Reiko let out a depressed sigh as she hesitantly looked up to Tezuka. The usually impassive buchou sweatdropped when he saw Reiko pouting, as if about to cry.

/ I did so well against Kaita-san. Why can't I remember anything under his presence?_ / _Reiko thought in hopelessness.

"It's not that hard." Tezuka took another tennis ball from a tube and started walling. As expected, he flawlessly returned each ball to the centre of the box with amazing precision and perfect form.

/ Sugoi!_ / _Reiko gaped incredulously as she watched.

"Don't give up." Tezuka caught the final ball with his right hand as he finished his demonstration. Reiko looked inspired and enthusiastically nodded her head.

/ Yoshi! I can do this. / Reiko cheered herself before preparing to serve again.

"Ikuzo." Reiko chanted to herself as she hit the ball with full concentration.

ZOOOOM!

Tezuka didn't flinch, although he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he watched the bright yellow tennis ball zoom past him, barely missing his face by millimetres. Reiko felt her face turn blue as she gawked in horror. She almost damaged her beloved personal trainer's face, again.

"Maybe next time, Hasegawa." Tezuka heard himself speak in his usual monotonous voice. He motioned Reiko to hop on the court as he dragged a box of tennis balls under the benches before stepping onto the opposite side.

"I'll serve you balls for now. Return it any way you want." He said as he hit an underhand serve. They did the same routine for a while before Tezuka decided it was time to take a break. Reiko had a scowl on her face and kept her head down low, afraid she might find the stoic captain's calm demeanour had turned into an enraged one. None of the hundred or so balls she returned went in.

"Hasegawa-san." Tezuka called the uprooted Reiko's attention. The bespectacled girl hesitantly looked up and was stunned that Tezuka still had his usual calm face, not a trace of annoyance. He motioned for her to come closer. Reiko found her feet moving without her permission as they obeyed the expressionless captain's command.

"H-hai?" Reiko nervously asked as she stared at the bespectacled boy's unfazed face. Tezuka eyed her passively.

"You rely on your wrist too much." Tezuka dully stated his observation as the raven-haired girl listened. "That is why your shots are going out. The ball is too heavy to be controlled solely by the wrist. The arm should follow-through at every shot." Tezuka demonstrated a graceful forehand swing before looking back at his trainee.

Reiko mimicked the way Tezuka swung his racquet and anxiously looked at Tezuka as she waited for feedback. She felt herself smile from ear-to-ear when she saw him nod in approval.

"Do it 50 times." Tezuka bleakly commanded. Reiko merely nodded and did as she was told. She stole glances at her oblivious trainer every once in a while and started to blush furiously.

1, 2, 3, 4... After 10 well-executed swings, Tezuka noticed that Reiko's swings started to lack follow-through again. He sighed mentally before approaching the raven-haired girl.

"Hasegawa-san..." Tezuka started. Reiko stopped what she was doing to look up at the ever stoic face of Tezuka Kunimitsu, blushing madly when she realized they were now only a few inches apart.

"H-hai?" She nervously asked as she felt her heart skip a beat.

"You're losing follow-through again." Tezuka took Reiko's right hand and shook it a little. "You're elbow is too stiff." He continued. Reiko felt her heart beat so fast she feared she might have a heart attack.

Tezuka swung the girl's arm to give her a feel of the swing. Reiko felt her knees wobble and bend unintentionally. Luckily, Tezuka felt the girl lose her balance and caught her with his other arm. It looked like he was embracing the girl from behind, his right arm was wrapped slightly above her chest as he supported her. His other hand still held her right hand from demonstrating the swing.

/ Lavender._ / _Tezuka's brain registered the faint, pleasant smell of lavender coming from Reiko as he breathed in such close proximity. This is the second time he's been so close to the opposite sex physically, and he remembered that his first time also involved the same girl. They stood frozen there. He didn't realize he still kept her in his arms until—

"My my, Ore-sama didn't think the famous Tezuka Kunimitsu was the type to waste his time to flirt with girls." A suave, arrogant voice interrupted the 'intimate' moment. "Definitely not when the regionals are approaching."

Reiko and Tezuka looked up to find a silver-haired boy had invited himself in the 'private' court, conceitedly standing by the door with a smirk on his face. He had a small 'beauty mole' positioned just under his right eye. Behind him stood a blank-faced, burly man who carried, what looked like, two tennis bags on his shoulders. He made Kaita Keiko, Seigaku's gentle giant, seem normal. Reiko felt her temper rise at his overly confident 'personality'.

"Ore-sama also didn't expect the great Tezuka Kunimitsu to look like '2 Face' either. I heard you have quite a number of fan girls chasing after you, ne Kabaji?" The uninvited guest remembered one of the villain's in "Batman", whose face was half normal, half scarred, at the sight of Tezuka's uneven facial colour.

"Usu." The large man behind him said automatically.

"..." Tezuka only stared blankly at the intruder.

/ Sugeeee! Tezuka-san is so cool! / Reiko marvelled at how Tezuka's demeanour remained unchanged after being insulted. She then felt a feeling of annoyance run through her body. / How dare he insult Tezuka-san?! /

"I'm sorry, you are?" Reiko asked annoyed that her 'intimate moment' with her beloved "ko-chi" was disrupted by the self-possessed guy who apparently either didn't understand why the courts were separated, or simply just did not respect others' privacy. She concluded he was both.

The silver-haired boy closed his eyes in irritation although the arrogant smirk was still on his face.

"Tsk tsk, insolent girl. I am Atobe Keigo, captain of the Hyotei Gakuen Tennis Team. Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na." The self-possessed lad tossed his silver hair arrogantly before eyeing the other captain. Reiko's blood was boiling

"It'll be Hyotei who will trash Seigaku in the regionals, ne Kabaji?." The silver-haired boy boldly declared as he flashed another arrogant smirk.

"Usu." The Kabaji person answered robotically once more.

"..." Tezuka stared impassively at the narcissistic boy.

/ So cooool!! / Reiko was again awestruck by Tezuka's naturally stoic nature, still looking unaffected after being taunted. Atobe's eyes twitched in annoyance.

"Che... Ore-sama suggests you stop wasting your time and start training seriously..." The pompous boy warned. "Although I doubt it'll help your pathetic team, ne Kabaji?" He finished with a smug smile.

"Usu." The brawny man replied mechanically once more. The self-possessed tennis captain gave Tezuka one last haughty smile before turning to leave.

"You self-possessed, overbearing, egotistical, highfaluting, pompous git!" Reiko started, hollering all the words that meant "big-headed wrench" in her mental dictionary. "Our team would never be defeated by a school with a NARCISSISTIC OLD JERK like you as captain, ne Kabaji?!" Reiko finally snapped.

"Usu." Kabaji answered instinctively. Atobe popped a vein as he turned to his 'goon' with a reprimanding glare.

"Kabaji! You only answer to Ore-sama!" Atobe scolded the one-worded man that seemed like his 'manservant' before looking sharply at the bespectacled girl.

"Old? How dare you call Ore-sama old!" The snooty boy demanded an answer.

"HAH! Only old people have grey hair!" Reiko retorted as she criticized the stuck-up boy's hair-colour.

"Ore-sama's hair is not grey! Ore-sama has gorgeous SILVER hair." Atobe proudly ran a hand through his "gorgeous", "not grey" hair before flashing the girl an unnerving glare. "I don't expect someone like YOU to know the difference." He smirked.

"You pompous, air-headed, snot-nosed prick! That dementedly, sadis—" Reiko was on the verge of ranting about how a certain brown-haired tensai seemed like an angel compared to the obnoxious, apparently "silver-haired", boy before her when...

"Hasegawa..." Tezuka's voice sounded reprimanding as he stopped the fuming Reiko before she ran out of vocabulary words. Reiko instantly shut up.

Atobe gave the bespectacled girl a triumphant smirk before strutting away like a diva, the burly man in tow.

"UGH!! Can you believe that guy? Barging in here uninvited. The nerve!" Reiko blurted out loud as she allowed herself to burst, forgetting she was still with Tezuka Kunimitsu, the unemotional and detached captain of the Seigaku Tennis Team.

Tezuka was slightly taken aback, although he didn't show it, at the sudden transformation of the pale-faced girl before him. From the 'shy' girl that stammered and almost always kept her head down, she turned into a feisty, outspoken girl who readily defended her friends.

"And the way you remained stoic when he taunted you... So cool!" He watched her rant about how 'amazing' he was for not letting the narcissistic Hyotei captain get to him. That was the first time someone directly told him about his indifferent manner, although unintentional. She also made it sound like it was a good thing. He watched her rave a bit more before deciding to interrupt.

"Hasegawa-san..." He started with his usually deep, monotone voice.

The girl stopped her ranting and looked up to find Tezuka's scrutinizing gaze. She felt herself blush furiously when she realized she'd just mindlessly jabbered on in front of her adored tennis coach. He, again, mentally wondered at how the raven-haired girl rapidly switched personalities in a split second.

"Let's resume practice." Tezuka instructed Reiko to continue with her strokes once again.

He was slightly amazed at how the girl now executed proper forehand swings without being reminded how. He was pretty sure she'd been distracted by Atobe's 'minor interruption' after he'd just started his 'hands-on' demonstration. Yet here she was, performing flawless forehand swings. Ryuzaki-sensei was dead on when she said the bespectacled girl learned quickly.

"I think it's time to try again." Tezuka motioned Reiko to hop back on the court to hit real balls this time.

"I'll serve everything to your forehand side, just concentrate on the same swing." Reiko returned each ball impeccably. After seeing her master the forehand swing, he decided it was time to teach her backhands.

By the time they finished, Reiko's basic tennis swings were perfectly polished. Her returns didn't look awkward anymore either. In fact, they looked graceful. Tezuka was inwardly impressed by the girl's fast learning pace, learning all the basic swings in an hour and 20 minute session if you subtract Atobe's short intercession, not to mention her agile but fluid movement. Hasegawa Reiko truly is a well-rounded athlete, but she had lots more to learn, especially regarding her control.

Tezuka felt relieved when he concluded that teaching the girl would not be as troublesome as he thought it would be, considering her knack of learning. He eyed his trainee who was now wiping her eyes with a towel behind her glasses. He felt a minute feeling of curiosity as he wondered what lay behind the thick spectacles. He shrugged the thought away before walking to the girl.

"Good work, Hasegawa-san." Tezuka complimented monotonously. Reiko blushed and bowed her head bashfully as she started stretching her legs. Tezuka noted how flexible she was. She held her right shoe with her left hand, her head touching her knee without a sweat.

Tezuka made sure he returned the box of tennis balls where he found them as they packed up and got ready to leave. They exited the tennis courts and headed to the locker rooms to get changed. When they were done, they headed to the reception to pay the court fee. They took their change and headed outside and started walking to the train station.

"Arigato Tezuka-buchou, for being patient with me today." Reiko bowed her head in gratitude as she thanked her 'personal coach' for the day's session. She no longer found his stoic nature intimidating. She rather thought it was 'cool'.

"Aa..." Tezuka acknowledged. Reiko cracked a satisfied smile.

"I'm not your buchou." Tezuka said in his usual flat tone. Reiko felt her heart shatter into million tiny pieces at the statement. The clueless captain noticed the pale-faced girl stop in her tracks, her head down as she seemed crushed. She had just deemed the captain was stiff by nature, not because he chose to be high-strung.

"Aa... Calling me 'buchou' is improper given that Kaita Keiko is the girl's tennis captain." Tezuka continued. The girl's head still hung low as she resumed to walk, now like a zombie.

" 'Tezuka' seems more appropriate." He finished. He mentally sighed in relief when he saw the girl's pout turn into a smile as her face brightened, or turned back to being pale instead of blue.

"H-hai, Tezuka-san..." The girl nodded her head and blushed as she called her coach by his name. They resumed walking in comfortable silence.

"Ne, Tezuka-san... How much do I owe you for training?" Reiko brightened up. Tezuka stared at the bespectacled girl blankly. He didn't know what she meant.

"Ahahaha..." Reiko chuckled nervously. "It was a joke, Tezuka-san." Reiko explained as she scratched her head timidly. Tezuka continued to stare vacantly.

"I mean! It's not like I won't pay you for your services. I'd be glad to... if you told me to... I mean! I'm not saying you're a money-grubber or anything, I meant—"Reiko started to sweat nervously.

Tezuka's unfazed manner seemed to make it worse. Reiko sighed in relief when they found they had arrived at the train station. She mentally slapped herself for opening her mouth.

"Hasegawa..." Reiko kept her head down in embarrassment as she heard Tezuka's deep voice call her name.

"You don't have to be so stiff when you're with me." Tezuka surprised himself at his attempt to relax the tense girl. He wondered why he felt the need to reassure her when he saw she was uncomfortable in his presence. His serious expression then turned into a blank one when—

"Hihihihihi!" He heard the girl start cracking up, now he truly was clueless. "G-gomen ne Tezuka-san. I-it's just... Hahahaha!" The girl tried to stifle her laughter before proceeding.

"That statement... hehe... it sounded funny, coming from you." She looked up to find the usual stoic face of Seigaku's aloof tennis captain. She felt her laughter subside.

"Gomen ne, I didn't mean to laugh at you. But you should've seen yourself when you said that." Reiko bowed apologetically, but this time she did not feel too embarrassed. She smiled when she realized she really was no longer intimidated by Tezuka's presence like before. She grew accustomed to Tezuka's naturally inexpressive character.

CHOOOCHOOOO!

Her thoughts were interrupted when a train stopped in front of their platform.

"Aa... See you in school, Hasegawa-san." Tezuka bid the raven-haired girl goodbye before heading to the nearest door.

"Sayonara, Tezuka-san." He heard the raven-haired girl bid him as well. He turned to face her one last time.

"Yudan sezu ni ikou." With that, he boarded his train and headed his own way. Reiko felt herself smile from ear-to-ear when as she walked to her house.

**--Meanwhile--**

"I'm so boooored! Let's go for burgers, nya!" Kikumaru enthusiastically invited his team mates for some burgers as he packed the last of his stuff. The long after school practice finally ended. Kikumaru curiously looked up to find a deserted Seigaku Tennis grounds. His face darkened and a scowl replaced his excited smile when he realized everyone had already left without him. No, the Regulars and the Varsity still haven't forgotten about how Kikumaru Eiji let them down.

"Nya! Everyone is so cooold!" He let out a frustrated shout before solitarily heading his way home.

**--**

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**Author's Notes:**

Some Japanese words/phrases I used that you may not be sure of.

1. Kateikyoushi_ -_ formal word for "coach"

2. ko- chi - less fomal word for"coach"

3. "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na"- Atobe's catch phrase which translates to: "Be amazed by my prowess."

4. Yudan sezu ni iko - Tezuka's catch phrase, which translates to: "Don't let your guard down."

The others are pretty straightforward. But it you're a bit confused, don't hesitate to ask!


	10. Payback! I hope you like it!

**Updated and corrected!**

**Author's Notes: **Personally tried this one. I can still vividly remember my friend's face. LMAO! BTW... Don't forget to leave me some feedback!

**Summary: **The Fuji-brigade is in mourning? Leather-clad men charge to Seishun Gakuen? Kikumaru's brain is corrupted? BDSM?! Who's behind all the fuzz?!

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**Seigaku, Tuesday (Classroom 3-6)...**

"SIGH..."

That was now the 50th sigh Fuji Syusuke let out during the past 10 minutes of recess. Yes, it was another normal day in Seishun Gakuen Middle School. The usual terrorist teachers were lurking around the hallways, trying to catch a few juvenile delinquents who break even the simplest of school rules.

_There's another one._

A 2nd year student was suffering the wrath of Sato-sensei, he seemed to have been caught stepping on the grass, by half a centimetre. Fuji watched as the helpless boy was dragged by the ear to the principal's office. Screams of anguish can be heard from outside, the few passers-by who witnessed the scene hurried to their classrooms before they got caught for breathing. Fuji sighed again, boring. Little did he know he was about to have the shock of his life.

_Where's Hasegawa?_

Fuji was really starting to get bored now. He looked around the classroom for a familiar raven-haired girl with a quick temper. He sighed yet again when he realized his nemesis was nowhere in sight. He feared that if he didn't find the person he was looking for soon, he might accidentally kill someone. His thoughts were interrupted when a much shaken Kikumaru dashed inside the 3-6 classroom and headed toward the resident tensai's desk.

"Fujiko!! RUN! NYA!" A panicking Kikumaru cried out to the slightly taken back Fuji as he stopped in front of his desk and slammed his hands on his friend's table.

Fuji was about to ask his rattled friend what was wrong when a familiar raven-haired girl walked into the classroom. He was about to flash her a devious smile when he noticed the girl had beat him to it, her face had a demented smile that sent chills down his spine. He noticed Reiko's two friends, Ayumi and Chiharu, was looking at him with panic-stricken faces.

"Eiji, is anything the matter?" Fuji asked in his usual carefree tone, seemingly unaffected with the same plastered smile on his face, although his mental alarm bells rang loudly. Something is definitely wrong.

"No time to explain, nya! Run!" Kikumaru pulled his friend up from his chair and rushed to push him out the classroom door. They were about to exit the classroom when 2 dark figures blocked the doorway.

"NYAAAAAA!" Kikumaru screamed in horror. Fuji felt all the hairs on his body stand up at the sight of two men both in leather outfits staring at him with maniacal grins, which he noted with chagrin, held a promise deep and foreboding the great Fuji Syuusuke couldn't quite grasp.

"That's him." Reiko pointed at the brown-haired boy in front of a petrified Kikumaru, a smug smile plastered on her face.

"He looks like the description on the ad." One of the men said, his deep baritone voice sending unwanted shivers slithering down Fuji's spine. The man was huge, standing over a whopping height of 190 cm. He wore a short leather vest amidst the flashy metal straps that encased his perfectly chiselled abs, and flourished his outfit with a leather choker that better suited a dog all too well. The man leered over Seigaku's resident tensai.

"Are you Fuji Syusuke?" A man with sharp shoulders and jutted elbows, who seemed to resemble Marilyn Manson, towered over Fuji. He was clad in leather tights, a leather tube top, and a leather police hat. He had a spiky leather choker that connected to long chains that then attached to spiky leather wristbands. He seemed to be holding, (guess what?!) a **leather** **whip**.

"H-hai." Fuji answered, still clueless. For the first time in his life, Fuji Syusuke felt helpless.

Just then, everyone felt the ground shake.

A swarm of leather-wearing men equipped with whips, ropes and riding crops charged down the 4th floor of Seishun Gakuen Middle School. The gangly man dropped the newspaper he was reading and looked up. Fuji suspected the newspaper would explain everything so he took the opportunity to secretly grab it. He found it open to the classified ads section. His face seemed to pale when he read a bold-faced ad right in the centre of the page.

**Lonely 15-year old male seeking companion.**

**Honey-brown hair, handsome features.**

**If interested, come to Seishun Gakuen Middle School** (**Class 3-6)**

**Look for Fuji Syusuke.**

**P.S.**

**Preferably male, BDSM VERY WELCOME!**

**Satisfaction guaranteed**

Fuji dropped the newspaper as soon as he finished reading the ad. His perpetually calm and smiling facade was now replaced with a look of dread. He looked up to find a sniggering Hasegawa Reiko nodding at him with her "Yup-I-did-it-face."

"They're here!" The gaunt man advised his companion. "Quick grab him!" He ordered his friend frantically.

"Fuji-kun, you can choose between the two of us later." The heavy-set man spoke in a twisted tone, as he swept Fuji off his feet and carried him bridal style. He and his partner sprinted away from the competition with the 'stolen prize'.

"Pay back Fuji-kun. I hope you like it." Fuji heard a certain raven-haired girl's menacing voice just before he was unwillingly carried out the school.

The herd of leather-clad men spotted two similar outfitted men running with a brown-haired boy in Seigaku uniform and ran after them as they headed out the school. The whole senior corridor fell silent as they witnessed what just happened, cries of despair from horrified fan girls suddenly filled the air when they realized their precious "Fuji-sama" had been taken away by BDSM people.

"Muwahahahahaha!" Everyone in 3-6 watched their pale-faced, raven-haired classmate cackle like a mad woman in bug-eyed terror.

"Wow, you should audition for the school play this year, Hasegawa. I heard they're doing Snow White, you'd be perfect for the "Evil Queen" role." Everyone snapped out of their shell-shocked states when they realized their biology teacher entered the class. Everyone settled down in their seats in unusual silence.

"Kikumaru's here, so is Hasegawa... Are? Has anyone seen Fuji-kun?" A clueless Honda-sensei curiously asked his class for their resident tensai. Everyone quietly looked down as if to avoid answering the question. Honda-sensei thought he heard the distinct sound of crickets chirping.

"It's not like Fuji-kun to be absent. And what's with the odd silence? Honda-sensei asked his class once more. He found his class was still staring at the floor, no one bothering to answer. He decided to shrug it off and proceed with the lesson.

"Okay. Today we will discuss about the different behaviour patterns in various species." He instructed the class to open their books. Everyone turned pale when they read the title of that chapter.

"_Unique Mating Patterns in Various Animals."_

Then everyone turned blue when they read the second example on the book.

_Flatworms make love and war._

_For flatworms, mating is more like war than love. Like all sea slugs, flatworms are hermaphrodites. In this case, the male organ turns out to be two dagger-like penises that they use to hunt as well as mate. During mating, two flatworms fight to stab each other, while avoiding getting stabbed. _

"Class, do you know what's even more interesting?" Honda-sensei tried to stir his class' curiosity.

"The 'loser' who gets stabbed will absorb the sperm through its skin and then scoots off to bear the burden of motherhood!" The enthusiastic biology teacher announced. He was surprised to find all his students dash out the door. Sounds of retching echoed through the corridor. Everyone was gone except for one student.

"That is very interesting, Honda-sensei." Honda-sensei felt the hairs on his back stand up at the eerie smile that was on his bespectacled student's face.

* * *

**Lunch Time...**

"You went too far Reiko-chan!" Ayumi scolded her bespectacled friend after finding out about her 'little' prank on their resident tensai.

"Che... It's been set since last week." Reiko muttered, slightly irritated that her friend was taking her arch nemesis' side.

"Besides, he deserves it, for all the painful mortification he's caused me, especially yesterday!" Reiko continued to defend herself through gritted teeth as she remembered the previous day's events.

"But you didn't even get punished for being late, nya!" Kikumaru piped from his seat, joining the "Make Reiko feel Guilty" crusade with Ayumi and Chiharu.

"It's not about THAT! I looked like an idiot in front of Tezuka-san! Good thing..." Reiko didn't speak any further. She felt herself smile as she remembered the events of first one-on-one session with Tezuka.

Everyone quickly forgot they were lecturing the naughty girl when they saw her distant gaze and pleasant smile. Suddenly they grew curious.

"That's right! You have yet to tell us what happened after school yesterday!" Chiharu squeaked, eager to extract anything juicy from her daydreaming friend.

"Spill..." Ayumi ordered her friend in a slightly threatening voice. Reiko shook her head stubbornly.

"Nya! No fair Rei-chan! You're so mean!" Kikumaru complained while putting on a puppy dog look.

"It's a secret." Reiko told everyone flatly.

"Saa... That won't be fun." A distinguished, slightly feminine voice interrupted. Everyone was stunned to find the same, smiling face of their resident tensai as he walked through the door. Reiko popped a vein.

"Nya! Fujiko, you're alive!!" Kikumaru jumped the brown-haired boy in excitement, overjoyed to see his friend unscathed. Everyone looked relieved to find their classmate was safe, no bruises or scratches and no signs of emotional or mental trauma. Everyone was glad except for a certain pale-faced girl who fumed as she snapped a pencil.

"It's great to see you're okay Fuji-kun, you're fan girls were 'mourning' the whole 2 periods! Their wails were driving me crazy!" Chiharu complained as she pointed out the window to a mob of girls who were all in black, they seemed to be digging a six foot hole just under the shade of a large Sakura tree.

"I guess we don't need to contact the funeral home." Ayumi joked as she too acknowledged their 'long lost' classmate's unexpected arrival.

"Saa... That won't be necessary, Takano-san." Fuji replied casually, his usual calm smile still plastered on his face.

"Demo... How did you manage to survive THAT anyway?" A curious Chiharu asked. Everyone shivered when they saw Fuji's smile grow bigger while turning into a devious one.

"Ah... Let's just say their weakness played to my strength." Fuji gave everyone a concealed answer. They felt clueless at what the tensai meant but decided to shrug it off and just be glad that their friend is alive and well.

_Flashback_

_The two BDSM men were still busy running away from the competition while carrying a helpless Fuji. They turned to a dark alley in hopes they would lose the herd who wanted a piece of the 'prize'. The large man who was carrying Fuji didn't notice a broken skateboard on the ground as he frantically looked for a hiding place._

_CRASH!_

_Fuji fell on a tattered old couch that luckily still had its cushions intact. He found the brawny man on the ground with a fresh wound on his right knee. The man, who wasn't as lucky as the brown-haired boy, seemed to have landed on the rough concrete pavement. Fuji was about to make a run for it when—_

"_Slap it again Nobunaga!" The deep, husky voice seemed to have caught Fuji's attention just as he was about to make his escape._

_HeheheheMy pleasure, Takenobu The spare man with the leather jacket raised his hand in the air and slapped his partner's right knee with all his strength._

"_Again!Hehehehe The burly man commanded as he laughed maniacally. _

_It didn't take a tensai to figure the two men were masochists. Fuji watched in amusement as the two men exchanged blows with satisfied expressions. He noticed the bony man had dropped his leather whip. Fuji subtly reached for the whip before deciding to speak._

"_Saa... I'd hate to interrupt, but I was wondering if you two would be so kind as to take me back to Seishun?" Fuji asked politely as he disturbed the two men who enjoyed exchanging blows._

_Hehehe Naive boy, what makes you think we'll bring you back untouched?" The Marilyn Manson look-alike asked in a deranged tone._

_WHAPACK!_

_Everything seemed to have fallen silent as Fuji whipped the lanky man's right arm. The burly man's jaw dropped to the floor as he stared at the brown-haired boy with wide-open eyes._

"_NYAHAHAHAHA! DO IT AGAIN!" The lean man's high-pitched voice screamed in pleasure as his brain registered the throbbing sensation from his right arm._

"_WHIP ME TOO!" The hefty man pleaded. Fuji cracked a sly grin._

"_Saa... I shall grant your request if you promise to grant me mine." Fuji cracked a devilish grin when he saw the two men nod in enthusiastically in unison._

_End of Flashback_

RIIIIIIIIING!

The loud bell resounded throughout the school's bustling vicinity to signal the end of lunch break. Everyone settled in their respectful classrooms as they prepared for the start of the next class.

"Hasegawa-san..." Reiko shivered at the devious tone that called her name. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end at the demented smile that spread across her arch rival's face as he walked toward her direction.

"I just wanted to thank you for turning my dreary day around." Fuji's sadistic smile never faltered as he sat down on his seat.

"Don't worry, you're efforts would not go unappreciated. I vow to return the favour as soon as possible." At that, Reiko gripped the edge of her desk for all she was worth and gulped.

"I'm in such a deep, steaming pile of horse shiiiii-" Before Reiko could finish her colourful statement, a shrill gasp of horror intervened.

"NYAAA! REI-CHAN SAID THE "S" WORD! MY VIRGIN EARS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED!" Kikumaru squealed in horror.

"Mou, Eiji. I didn't fully fin—"

"LALALALALALALA!!" Kikumaru Eiji tried in futile attempt to block Reiko's placating voice by covering his ears with his hands, "LALA-ing" along. Everyone turned their attention at the sudden outburst and found their deeply traumatized red-headed classmate rocking himself back and forth, curled in foetal position.

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**Hasegawa Residence...**

Ever since the return of her nemesis, Hasegawa Reiko had been nervously clicking her heels and inwardly mumbling "There's no place like home", in desperate hopes that she might miraculously end up outside their contemporary Tokyo home. Yes, Hasegawa Reiko is afraid. She had just pulled a major prank on Seigaku's resident tensai, and she has yet to face the fury of his revenge.

Home sweet home. The pale-faced girl ran like a crazy chicken at the moment she spotted her 'safety zone', in just a few metres distance. She laughed like a raving hyena while running at superhuman speed. Home. The only place where she is safe from whatever her arch rival had up his sleeve. At home, she was Fuji-free, completely untouchable. She cracked a triumphant grin as she entered the premises of the Hasegawa household.

"The great Hasegawa Reiko is home!" Reiko called out to her housewife mother to inform the latter of her "magnificent presence". She felt like a superhero after she'd overcome her 15 minute walk down "Paranoia Lane", arriving their house unharmed and in one piece.

"Out here honey!" She heard her mother's honey-toned voice call her from what sounded like the back yard. Reiko started walking to the direction of the familiar voice, the idiotic grin still plastered on her face.

Her foolish grin instantaneously vanished, her hair stood, her face turned blue, and she felt a warm and wet sensation from down under as she had a slightly let a miniscule amount of urine escape her bladder from terrifying shock.

"Okarinasai, Hasegawa-san." The familiar face of her greatest foe flashed a sickeningly sweet smile as he greeted the now blue-faced girl. With cat-like reflexes, the bespectacled girl hissed at the intruder before dashing out of the Hasegawa household with tremendous speed that would even put a speeding bullet to shame. Now you see her, now you don't.

"That's weird. I could've sworn I saw Reiko-chan. Didn't you Syusuke-kun?" A dumbfounded Mrs. Hasegawa uttered to the brown-haired boy who stood across her with a small shovel in hand

"Saa... It must be the heat." Seigaku's resident tensai flashed the older woman a reassuring smile. Mrs. Hasegawa decided to shrug the thought away and continued taking down notes as her next door neighbour showed her the basics of planting cacti.

"It's so nice of you to give Reiko-chan a cactus. I'm sure she'll be very glad to finally find a plant in this pot. That silly girl must've filled the pot with soil but forgot to put the seeds in it." Mrs. Hasegawa enthusiastically handed the boy a large brown pot with nothing but soil, not noticing the 'Mr. Lemon' written at the bottom.

"Ah. I'm sure she'll jump over the moon. Cacti are very popular with the youth today." Fuji dug a few inches of soil out and spotted what seemed to be dried lemon seeds underneath it. He scooped the seeds with his shovel and flicked it in the black garbage bag and placed a tiny Pincushion cactus, about the size of the thumb on the soil.

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**That night...**

It was 8:00 in the evening and Hasegawa Reiko figured it was probably safe to head home since her father should be back from work at that hour. She'd spent the last 4 hours and 45 minutes hiding out in the public library. She thought that if she'd be hiding her cowering bottom, she should probably do it in a place where she could get a hold of internet and do some productive scheming.

She sighed in relief as soon as she spotted her father's black BMW Z4 M Roadster. She couldn't help but cackle inwardly at the thought that soon enough, her father would realize he's too old for such a ride and wisely pass down the convertible to his one and only daughter. She walked up the porch and was about to open the front door when she caught sight of something green that glinted from a distinct soil-filled pot that could only be 'Mr. Lemon'. She thought she heard bells ringing and angels singing "Joy to the World" in the background as she excitedly walked to her beloved Mr. Lemon.

"Mr. Lemon! You've finally sprouted! On your second birthday! OH JOY!" Reiko picked up the pot with two hands, jumped up and down, and pranced like a fairy princess, while hugging the brown pot.

"I knew you were just a late bloomer! Oh the happiness you've brought upon me this day will—YEOUCH!" Reiko was dramatically talking to her plant and decided to give Mr. Lemon a pat for taking a big step on his second birthday when a pricking sensation greeted her instead.

"What the—" Reiko's eyes bulged out of their sockets, but remained behind her thick rimless spectacles as she closely observed her "Lemon Plant".

"Thorns? This is a... CACTUS?! NANI??" Reiko fumed at the sight of a fat, thumb-sized cactus, shyly sitting on top of the soil. She quickly grabbed the tiny green cactus at the centre of the pot, completely ignoring the pain while ferociously digging through the soil.

"The seeds! They're gone! MY BABY! NOOOOOOO!" Reiko knelt down on the cold, cemented porch, heartbroken that her precious lemon seeds were nowhere to be found. The anguished cry resonated throughout the silent neighbourhood.

"That son of a clown! Fuji Syusuke, remember this day, for I swear to take revenge upon thee who have slain my precious Mr. Lemon! I shall avenge his unlawful murder and vengeance shall be mine! MUWAHAHAHAHA!" The booming sound of rumbling thunder together with the howling neighbourhood dogs and growling alley cats reverberated through all of Tokyo as a distinct pale-faced girl with raven black hair undertook the oath to take retribution for her 'massacred' "lemon plant".

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**Author's Notes:**

LOL... Feedback highly appreciated!

Does anyone keep track of the score? I forgot to tally 'em at the end of every chapter. MEH! Anyway...

For those of you who don't know:

**BDSM** **Bondage Discipline Sadism and Masochism.** According to "Wikipedia":

BDSM defines a spectrum of behaviors, including dominance, submission, punishment, masochism, bondage, role play and a large variety of other activities, frequently sexual in nature.

For detailed information go to: 'Wikipedia' and search BDSM. I tried to write with more creativity on this one. I TRIED! I really don't consider being a professional writer, but I'll try to make the fic a more enjoyable read for everyone!

Ideas and suggestions are highly appreciated! Constructive criticism welcome!

To **alishoane**: I dunno if that was a compliment or criticism, I appreciate it anyway. Thanks for the prank idea. I might use it and tweak it up a notch!


	11. Inui Juice: First Encounter!

**Author's Notes:** Please Read AND Review! I would seriously like to know how I'm doing with the story so far. I've also included some suggested pranks in this chapter, having tweaked it a bit!

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**Seigaku Tennis Grounds (Wednesday Morning Practice)**

"Everyone, 10 laps around the courts for warm up." Tezuka's commanding voice boomed throughout the rather deserted grounds of Seishun Gakuen Middle school. It was 6 am in the morning and everyone carried out the order of their impassive yet authoritative captain as they got ready to start their laps albeit begrudgingly.

"Everyone must finish under 2 minutes. Consequences await those who fail to do so." A deep menacing voice that could only belong to the resident data-man rang through the hollow tennis grounds. The Regulars and the Varsity members were instantly stirred up at the sight of thick, red liquid that seemed to bubble inside a transparent water bottle.

"Bloody Mary." The deranged bespectacled boy introduced eerily. "Also, last one to finish will have to drink twice the amount." Terrified yelps occupied the Seishun Gakuen Tennis grounds as another bottle with the same 'puke-worthy' liquid was exposed before everyone's eyes.

"B-blood?!" Momoshiro and Kawamura both scoffed out, the sight of the bottles seemed to have effectively awakened them from their stupor.

"Who's Mary, nya?" The eternally effervescent Kikumaru asked in innocent curiosity while pointing at one of the bottles.

"Mada mada dane, Eji-senpai." Echizen remarked impassively at his supposedly 'wiser' senior.

"Fsssssh..." Kaidoh hissed in agreement.

"You should seriously get your boyfriend to take up another hobby, Yumi-chan." Chiharu whispered to her friend in a lecturing tone, Reiko adjusted her spectacles by the stem and nodded in agreement. Yumi gave them two high-velocity slaps at the back of their heads which she thought were well-deserved. Kaita, the gentle giant, remained dumbstruck in all the commotion.

Oishi rubbed his eyes violently while doing his routine mental roll call, being the only person besides Tezuka who was unaffected by the ruckus. Everyone was well accounted for except for a certain brown-haired tennis phenomenon. Was he hallucinating or was THE Fuji Syusuke, resident tensai of the Seigaku Tennis Club, missing in action? Truly, it was not like the said tennis prodigy to absent himself from tennis practice, certainly not without notifying anyone before-hand. He tapped his foot rather nervously as his innate mother-hen nature took over him again.

_It's definitely unlike Fuji to be absent for practice. _Oishi mentally panicked as he turned towards the perpetually calm captain like a nervous mother chicken who was fed 50 kilos of pure Amanti Coffee beans before realizing one of her chicks were missing. Just as he was about to confront the stoic boy, an excited "Hoi" caught his attention.

"Hoi! Fujiko! You're late, nya!" The unremittingly excited voice of Seigaku's resident acrobatic player rang loudly through the empty tennis grounds as soon as his hawk-like eyes spotted a familiar figure with honey-brown hair approached the grounds.

"Ohayou, Eiji." The lost but now found tennis prodigy greeted the hyperactive redhead with his everlasting smile as he walked to the direction of his team mates with a slight limp.

"Fuji!" Oishi exclaimed; feeling relieved that nothing bad had happened to their resident tensai, or so he thought. He then noticed the hobble in the said genius' walk as he took another step. "What happened?" The Seigaku vice captain asked his team mate in a panic-stricken tone as he pointed to the boy's right foot.

"Just a little careless accident this morning, Give me a few minutes and I'll be fine." Fuji reassured his worry-wart of a team mate as he flashed him a comforting smile.

Everyone was getting ready to start their laps when they too noticed the limp in their team mate's walk.

"Fuji-senpai, don't tell us you managed to get injured just before the regionals?!" Momoshiro exclaimed in a shocked tone as he eyed his senior's right foot. After all, this was Fuji Syusuke. He isn't called genius for nothing. So how does a genius like his senpai manage to "carelessly" get himself into an "accident"? He doesn't.

"Nya! We're doomed! How will we ever win regionals without Fujiko? Nya!" Kikumaru cried in despair seeing that their team had just lost a valuable asset that greatly contributed to their entry in the national tournaments.

"Mada mada dane, Eiji-senpai." Echizen said impassively despite the hidden look of concern under his signature white cap.

"Saa... I think everyone is worrying too much. As I said, I'll be good to go in a few minutes." Fuji reassured his team mates once more as he felt the tension build up in the atmosphere.

"Mou Fuji, are you sure you're okay?" Kawamura worriedly asked his friend once again while in his normal state.

"There is a 98 percent chance that Fuji was not injured because of an accident. Rather, it seems someone had conjured the whole set-up." A pair of shimmering spectacles glimmered as Inui's knowing voice declared the statistics of his self-formulated theory.

"Saa... Everyone is over reacting. I merely got up at the wrong side of the bed." Fuji continued to try and extinguish the unnecessary hype about his right foot. He turned his attention to a certain bespectacled girl who turned blue after sensing the boy's gaze.

"Nya! You mean the other teams are trying to sabotage ours?!" Kikumaru squeaked in horror, as he feared that he might be the next one on the 'hit list, completely ignoring Fuji's statement.

"What is everyone doing? 20 Laps around the courts now!" Everyone stiffened as they heard the slightly annoyed tone in their usually impassive tennis captain's voice as he coughed up another order to run laps, adding an extra 10 to the previous one. Everyone scampered to run their laps before their buchou made it a hundred.

"Fuji. Are you sure everything is fine?" Tezuka asked his team mate in his usual monotone voice while eyeing his right foot.

"Hai, Tezuka-buchou." The tensai answered teasingly, which earned him a stern glare from his stoic captain. He put on his tennis shoes and tapped his right foot on the ground a few times. When he felt it was back to normal, he smiled and hopped to.

Tezuka fought the urge to shake his head and belch out another set of laps as he fought another migraine shooting up.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

"Ne Yumi-chan, I didn't think other schools would stoop so low as to try and injure one of our players to win." Chiharu murmured to her friend in a slightly concerned tone as they finished their first lap.

"I agree. They don't see us using Kaita-san to pound other people into minced meat." Ayumi replied in a slightly irritated tone as she looked behind to see the clueless giant trailing behind them with an innocent smile. Then she turned to see her raven-haired friend and couldn't help but notice her distant gaze as she ran behind the gentle giant.

_Maybe I went too far this time. I almost put the whole team in jeopardy. _Reiko shook her head as she disagreed with her guilt-filled conscience.

_He totally deserved it. That jerk! _The pale-faced girl tried to justify her actions as she defended herself in her own mental debate.

_Reiko's Flashback_

_Tuesday Night_

_Reiko savagely consumed her dinner while intensely plotting a scheme to get a back at her nemesis who was the primary suspect for her beloved Mr. Lemon's murder._

_Mr. and Mrs. Hasegawa gaped incredulously at their pig of a daughter as she downed another full bowl of rice and pork Katsudon in a record-breaking 3 seconds. They tolerated their daughter's grotesque table manners and decided to use the "Growing Teen" excuse to justify her 'bore-ish appetite._

"_I GOT IT!" The two elders were suddenly taken aback by their daughter's sudden burst of excitement as she ran up to her room while cackling maniacally._

"_Hormones." Mr. Hasegawa concluded as he finished his cup of tea with a stern expression, despite the massive sweatdrop behind his temples. His wife could only nod, still stunned by what just happened._

_**In her room...**_

"_Since you like cacti so much, Fuji-kun..." Reiko was mentally laughing like a mad woman as she figured out her next plot to get back at her arch enemy. She walked over to her room's window and cracked a mischievous smile when she saw a wide-open glass casement across her room._

_End of Flashback_

_He couldn't have seriously been injured, can he? _Reiko's conscience continued to trouble the bespectacled girl who just finished her 5th lap around the courts. Her thought was interrupted by a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and felt her face turn blue at the sight of her arch nemesis' perpetually smiling face as he caught up.

"Saa... That truly was a good one, Hasegawa-san." Fuji greeted his brilliantly devious nemesis as he caught up with her, flashing his trademark smile that was sure to prick her last nerve.

All the guilt that the pale-faced girl was feeling quickly vaporised as soon as she saw Fuji in tip-top shape and more annoying than ever. She felt a vein pop on her forehead, her temper starting to sizzle.

"Ah... I don't know what you're talking about." Reiko tried to keep a straight face as she denied everything, failing to convince anyone.

"Saa... I almost stepped on Ramon-san. It truly was a close one." Fuji continued. Although his smile looked exactly the same, something in his tone sent unwanted chills down the pale girl's spine.

_Fuji's Flashback_

_RRRRIIIING!_

_A certain brown-haired boy groggily awoke from his slumber as his arm aimlessly looked for his trusty alarm clock. After instinctively finding what he was feeling for, he rubbed his eyes and checked the time, smiling when he realized he had woken up on cue. He yawned as he stretched his arms before deciding to jump out of bed. _

_As he took his first step on the ground, he felt a prickling sensation shoot up from his right foot. At first he thought his foot may be numb from putting weight on it while he slept, but then he realized he woke up lying on his back and not on his side._

_It took him a few seconds to realize that the prickling feeling seemed to be more painful than having just a numb foot. He decided to turn on his bedside lamp and was glad that he was in the privacy of his own room when his jaw dropped and his honey-brown hair stood up like Albert Einstein's._

_Instead of finding the usual beige carpet that covered his entire bedroom floor, a sea of green potted cacti occupied the whole ground, not leaving even a fraction of a millimetre to step on. He eyed his right foot and noticed that a familiar pot of Pincushion cactus underneath it. He carefully removed the seemingly attached pot from the bottom of his right foot and inspected it carefully. Underneath the pot read:_

"_Mr. Lemon, 2 years old."_

_Fuji felt his face automatically crack a smile as he marvelled at the genius of the only person that could have been the master mind. He placed the potted cactus on his bedside table before deciding to do the same with the rest of the pots until he could make a clear foot path. He stooped down to grab another pot when he realized, just beside the empty space where Mr. Lemon's pot had been, was a familiar chequered outfitted cactus with a handmade cowboy hat. The entire colour drained from the boy's face when he realized that: Had he stepped a centimetre more to the left, he would've been responsible for the massacre of his beloved "Ramon-san."_

_End of Flashback_

"Eye for an eye." The bespectacled girl said monotonously, trying to sound as emotionally unaffected as possible.

"True. Then I guess you won't mind if I take my turn then, ne Hasegawa-san?" Reiko stopped dead on her tracks while Fuji flashed her a revoltingly sweet smile.

"Not to worry, I'll keep it non-violent. It's not in my nature to physically assault people of the opposite gender." The brown-haired boy reassured in mock sincerity as he sprinted off to the rest of his team mates.

_Fuji Syusuke. What're you intending to do?_

Everyone seemed relieved to see their resident tennis prodigy back in perfect shape as they gave the boy hard slaps on the back. Everybody was elated when they all finished their laps at the same time, except a disturbed pale-faced girl who was rooted to the ground while intensely contemplating what her nemesis had in mind. It didn't take long for her to realize what her arch enemy had in store.

"Hehehe... Hasegawa-san." Reiko's deep thoughts were interrupted by a tap on her shoulder and an ominous aura that loomed over her. She hesitantly turned around to the direction of the deep disturbing voice that could only belong to Inui Sadaharu, your friendly neighbourhood mad concocter.

"You were last one to finish, Hehehe..." Reiko's pale face turned blue, again, when she saw the deranged boy hold out two, 1.25 litre bottles of 'Bloody Mary' in it.

"N-n-ne, Inui-san, maybe w-we c-can work s-s-something out? I have lots of valuable information for you." Reiko pleaded as she tried to negotiate with the mad concoctor who disregarded her appeal, much to her dismay.

She looked to her supposed 'friends' for help but found them already discussing her last will and testament as they circled her.

The last thing she remembered was seeing the satisfied smile that stretched across Fuji Syusuke's face from ear to ear. The painful feeling of the thick liquid burned up her nostrils and entered her tear ducts as her body tried to find any type of passageway to push the concoction out.

* * *

**Clinic...**

"BLECKH!"

Sounds of aggrieved retching echoed through the whole sick bay as Reiko regurgitated another set of last night's Katsudon, that morning's cereal and a heaping mass of human intestines, or so it felt that way. Reiko searched for the nearest toilet bowl the instant she regained consciousness, the urgent feeling of vomiting overwhelming her once more.

"Reiko-chan, how are you feeling?" Reiko heard a faint knock on the lavatory door and heard the familiar tennis coach's voice call out her name. She heaved another set of what was once a deliciously home cooked meal to deliver her answer.

After coughing out everything she possibly could, Reiko ripped open a new pack of toothbrush and proceeded to intensely 'disinfecting' her mouth.

"Ah... Feeling better now?" The elderly coach greeted the pale girl as she stepped out of the toilet. Reiko could only manage to give her a weak nod.

"Not a lot of people are immune to Inui's 'concoctions', so it wasn't a big surprise." Ryuzaki-sensei reassured the girl was in perfectly normal to react like a pregnant woman with morning sickness.

"You should be proud, you're the first girl to have ever tried one of his drinks, and you survived." The old coach admired as she flashed the stirred girl an enthusiastic smile. "Although, you were out cold a little longer than expected."

"Lucky me." A hint of sarcasm was evident in Reiko's voice as she took the 'compliment' thrown at her by the elderly coach. The aged coach's smile grew wider at the girl's retort.

"Mou, there's no need for sarcasm, Reiko-chan, you really did get us worried back there." Reiko was oblivious to the mischievous smile that now spread across Ryuzaki-sensei's aged face as the pale girl shakily went to fetch her school uniform from her badminton/tennis bag.

"Gomen, Ryuzaki-sensei. I really do appreciate you attending to me, especially when the school nurse wasn't here." Reiko felt guilty and ashamed by her impudence towards the elderly lady who took care of her after being mercilessly food poisoned.

"Ah, don't thank me. Thank Tezuka-kun, he was the one who carried you here and tended to you. Well, I guess I'll be going now. We have a Faculty meeting before school starts. Take care Reiko-chan!" Ryuzaki-sensei flashed a teasing smile before leaving a dumbstruck Reiko, her jaw touched the ground as she gaped at the revelation. The old coach thought that if she could see the girl's eyes right now, she would probably be bug-eyed in shock.

_Tezuka-san?All the way here? But this is the third floor! _Reiko mentally exclaimed, suddenly feeling insecure about herself. Was she too heavy to carry? Did she reek of sweaty old gym socks? What if she did something utterly mortifying whilst being unconscious, like farting? The raven-haired girl shook her head violently as she chased the random thoughts out of her head by busying herself with getting dressed.

Seeing her school bag wasn't there, she headed to the door to set out to the tennis courts. What greeted her made her cheeks burn furiously, for as soon as she slid the clinic door open, the familiar towering figure of the one and only Tezuka Kunimitsu loomed over her. His fist was balled up and raised in the air, looking as if he was about to knock, while a recognizable light grey bag backpack slung loosely over his left shoulder. She noticed he was already wearing his normal Seigaku uniform.

"T-Tezuka-san?" Reiko inwardly wondered if the boy before her had ESP, popping out of nowhere in perfect timing, while blushing furiously at the same time.

"Aa... Practice had finished." came the monotonous greeting of the stoic boy as he put his hand down to his side to avoid further looking strange.

"I see..." Reiko replied while looking down at her shoes like it was the most interesting thing in the world while Tezuka stared at the wall behind her, the two stood in awkward silence yet again.

"I came to see how you are feeling." Tezuka uttered blandly.

Reiko looked up with a questioning gaze before flashing the boy a warm smile. "Ah yes. I'm feeling better, apparently thanks to you." The atmosphere had suddenly become less tense when Tezuka had progressed from 3 worded phrases. The boy inwardly felt pleased, although showing no physical indication of it, when he saw that the girl had progressed from stuttering.

"I'm glad." The pokerfaced boy blurted out unemotionally.

"Pardon?" The raven-haired girl excused, not sure if she had heard right.

"That's good." The stoic boy said in the same tone. Reiko nodded her head in understanding. Her mind must still be playing tricks on her.

She decided to give her head a good shake before clearing her throat and stepping out the door.

"I'm sorry if I caused you trouble again, I seem to have become quite a nuisance for you." Reiko bowed her head apologetically while still holding her cheerful smile.

"I know how heavy a burden I am, literally. You didn't have to carry me all the way here." The raven-haired girl scratched the back of her head as she blushed in slight embarrassment.

"You're not heavy nor a burden." Tezuka reassured flatly.

_Tezuka's Flashback_

_After concluding the line up for the first game of the upcoming regionals with Ryuzaki-sensei, Tezuka stepped out of the clubroom to find his team had refrained from their training and have gathered in a circle like a crazed mob._

"_What's going on here?" Tezuka's furious voice boomed through the horde of tennis players who gave way to reveal a familiar raven-haired girl dizzily walking toward his direction._

"_Hasegawa?" Everyone was stunned to hear the usually monotone voice of the reserved Seigaku tennis team crack an evident tone of concern. Tezuka effortlessly caught the pale girl who collapsed toward him as she drifted to the unconscious. He easily managed to sweep the girl off her feet bridal style as he rushed her to the clinic._

_She's lighter than she looks. Tezuka mentally noted as he climbed the fleet of stairs to the second without breaking a sweat. He also noticed Reiko's uniform made her look a little bigger as he felt her slender figure against his arms while the familiar smell of lavender intoxicated his brain once again._

_Tezuka was not surprised when they arrived at a deserted school clinic. It was understandable for the school nurse to not be there since it was only around 7:30 in the morning. No one, aside from the tennis team and the morning security guard, came to school at that hour, staff usually came around 8._

_He laid the unconscious girl on one of the beds delicately while proceeding to search for ammonia in one of the cupboards. After finding what he was looking for, he turned his gaze back to the knocked out girl on the bed. He gently took the pale girl's spectacles to prevent them from being crushed. The usually unfazed boy felt his heart race at the sight of the girl before him without glasses for the first time. A mental chisel carved the 'non-spectacled' image of Reiko in his brain while resisting the urge to pry open her eyes in curiosity._

_His gaze remained fixed at the unconscious girl on the bed as he undid the lid on the bottle of ammonia. He was about to pour some of its contents on a cotton ball when the clinic door slid open and revealed the familiar pink tracksuit of Seigaku's aged tennis coach holding a blue Yonex racquet bag_

"_You can go back now. I'll watch over her." Ryuzaki-sensei reassured the younger boy before signalling him to get back to the team. _

"_Aa..." The stoic captain gave the elderly coach the cotton ball and bottle of ammonia. He nodded politely as he willingly obliged to her request, eyeing the girl once more before heading back to the tennis grounds. _

_End of Flashback_

"HAH! You should've seen me when I had weight issues! I was such a chubby kid." Reiko's retort seemed to have snapped Tezuka out of his mild reverie.

"You didn't need to know that, hehe." Reiko sheepishly smiled at the seemingly unfazed boy. "Ah, I was about to look for that." She tried to avert the attention to the light grey backpack that hung on Tezuka's shoulder.

"Aa... Ryuzaki-sensei forgot to bring your school bag earlier." Tezuka informed the raven-haired girl as he handed her the light grey Adidas backpack. Reiko was thrust downward by the sudden weight of her bag, forgetting she had all her schoolbooks inside as she absently took it.

"Hehe... I guess I'm still a bit lightheaded." Reiko was about to pick her schoolbag up, prepared for the weight this time, when a hand gripped the other strap and easily lifted it up.

"Tezuka-san?" A bewildered Reiko found the light-gray bag on the bespectacled boy's left shoulder once again.

"You're in no condition to carry this." Tezuka replied point-blankly.

"D-demo, all my books are in there." Reiko tried to argue but was instantly shut up when Tezuka gave her one of his famous unnerving stares.

"Okay, but you're really not making me feel better. I feel like I'm pushing it." Reiko guiltily resigned. She heaved a sigh of frustration before deciding to lead the way to her locker before further damaging the school's allegedly number one tennis player's shoulder.

* * *

**Senior Corridor...**

Tezuka and Reiko were oblivious to anguished cries by a couple of fan-girls and to the probing stares that were given to them by the few early students who curiously observed them walking side by side along the senior corridor.

Reiko stopped in front of one of the lockers down the right end of the hall and spun the dial on the combination lock of a top locker which read: "14. Hasegawa". Reiko sighed in relief when she remembered she had managed to keep her locker 'sterile' for the first two weeks of school.

Tezuka observed the highly organized locker before him. Black and white binders were alternately arranged on the top shelf, resembling the keys on a piano or keyboard. The second shelf was empty, and assumed it was for Reiko's bag. The bottom shelf held her pencil case and other stationary items, as well as extra notebooks, all stacked neatly.

"Arigatou, Tezuka-san. I apologise for all the trouble." Reiko bowed her head in shame as she guiltily took her bag from Tezuka's strong grip. She took her Samsung G800 mobile phone from her bag and made sure it was on 'Silent' mode before placing it in her pocket. She placed her bag on the second shelf as Tezuka had anticipated before giving her locker a good slam. After locking the padlock, Reiko checked her wrist and slapped her head when she realized she wasn't wearing a watch.

"It's 8:32." Tezuka declared after seeing the girl's gesture as he checked his silver Swiss Army ChronoPro Mechanical self-winding watch.

"Arigatou, again, Tezuka-san." Reiko scolded herself for being so dependent on others whilst bowing in gratitude once again. She was taken aback when the stoic tennis captain took her blue Yonex racquet bag that slung like a backpack on her shoulders and flung it on his.

He seemed to stun even himself as he found his body act on its own without thinking, in an attempt to spend more time with the raven-haired girl before him. He had always been composed and in control of his actions. The foreign feeling of anxiety made his insides become uncharacteristically nervous.

"Mou, Tezuka-san. It's not that heavy, I can manage." Reiko tried to protest once more. Tezuka turned his back on the bespectacled girl and headed down the staircase to go to the girl's clubroom. Reiko marched in disapproval as she followed the stolid boy while thinking of another approach.

"Ne Tezuka-san, since you want to play lackey so much, why don't you go buy me a drink while you're at it." Reiko thought reverse psychology might do the trick as she spotted a nearby vending machine.

Her face turned blue when she saw Tezuka take out a brown leather wallet from his pants' rear pocket and took out a hundred yen coin and put it in the machine. Her hand instinctively caught the lemon flavoured Ponta that Tezuka accurately threw at her even with his back turned against her. The back of her head let a huge sweat drop trickle at the dense boy.

"N-ne, Tezuka-san! I was kidding! Geez... Now I feel worse. Although you were spot on when you picked something lemon flavoured." Reiko complained at the hopeless boy before her. The stoic boy gave her a blank look before proceeding to walking to the girl's clubroom. Both oblivious to the nosy bystanders who eyed them closely as they gossiped in hushed voices.

Reiko quickened her pace so she could walk side by side with the boy who has been pampering her against will. She opened the can of Ponta and held it out to Tezuka who eyed it impassively.

"For all your hard work. Although you paid for it." Reiko said dryly as they walked out the building. She sighed in resignation when she saw Tezuka ignore her and continue walking.

She played with her phone in her pocket as they walked in silence again, shortly arriving at the girl's clubroom. Tezuka handed the persistent girl her bag since it was unethical for a boy to go inside the girl's clubroom.

"Finally." Reiko muttered as she took her bag and headed inside the clubroom. She wasn't too surprised to find Tezuka had waited for her to come out. She flashed him a polite smile before taking out her phone to check the time. 8:45 am, they still had a good 15 minutes before school officially started.

"Ah! Tezuka-san?" Reiko exclaimed as she suddenly remembered a thought. Tezuka faced the girl to find her toggling on her mobile phone.

"I remembered I didn't have your photo yet." Reiko flashed her phone for Tezuka to see. He looked blankly at the screen that had his name, mobile number and address in it.

"Ano, I put a picture on each person's profile on my phone so I know who's calling. It flashes when a person calls." Reiko explained.

"Aa..." Tezuka monotonously replied. The girl pushed a few more buttons on the gadget before holding it up to take a picture.

"Say cheese!" Reiko inwardly chuckled at her request as she snapped a photo. She knew Tezuka isn't the type who would smile for photos, he isn't the type to smile at all. She frowned when she saw Tezuka looked down just as she'd taken the photo.

"Tezuka-san, you looked down." She showed him the screen again so he could see his photo.

"It's awkward." Tezuka said vacuously as he pushed the bridge of his glasses up. "Solo portraits." He continued.

"Ah, Gomen Tezuka-san. I myself feel awkward in solo shots." Reiko thought for a moment before snapping at an idea.

"Then let's not take a solo picture." Reiko stood beside the stolid tennis captain and tiptoed as she raised her right hand, her phone turned around so its camera faced them.

"Say I love cheeeeeeese!" Reiko enthusiastically announced as she snapped another photo.

CLICK

The photo accurately captured the perpetually impassive face of Tezuka Kunimitsu with Reiko's head slightly tilted to the left to bring it closer to his. Her left hand was on his right shoulder as she used it for support while she tiptoed. Reiko cracked a satisfied smile as she viewed the picture before showing it to the stolid tennis captain while walking. He eyed it with his usual placid gaze before popping his black Nokia N95 out of his pocket.

He pressed a few buttons before handing his mobile phone to the dumbfounded Reiko, who was slightly stunned to find THE Tezuka Kunimitsu using a high-tech gadget, remembering the time she taught him how to use her blackberry.

"You still wrote your details in paper although you had one all along?" Reiko asked bemused while pointing to the black gadget in the palm of the boy whom she concluded as one who was old fashioned and refused to use anything invented in the present century.

Tezuka ignored her remark, although he mentally answered the question as he thought his writing was faster than his typing.

"Do you mind sending it?" Tezuka heard himself sound commanding than inquiring. "Please." He added flatly. Reiko shrugged the previous thought and gladly took his phone. She turned on his Bluetooth and sent him the 

photo. She returned the device with a contented smile as they headed back to the senior corridor while Tezuka eyed his mobile phone intently.

They reached the senior corridor just as the first bell rang. Reiko headed to her locker and found the stoic Tennis captain was still with her, toggling with his phone.

"Aren't you going to get your books Tezuka-san?" Reiko inquired curiously as she secured her locker after getting all the things she needed for the first two periods.

"Aa..." Tezuka put his phone in his pocket and grabbed the books and binders that Reiko was carrying.

"Tezuka-san, I said YOUR books! You're going too far. My classroom is just there!" Reiko pointed to a nearby classroom less than ten metres away in protest.

"Its proper decorum." The gallant boy replied insipidly as he walked the girl to her class like the 'fine' iceblock of a gentleman that he is, still unaware of the probing stares from fellow students and the gaping fan-girls who saw THE Tezuka Kunimitsu's unusual gesture.

"But I don't suppose you'll carry the rest of the school's female population's books?" Reiko cleverly countered as she subtly tried to grab her books from Tezuka who effortlessly dodged her shifty hands with amazing reflexes.

"Can't say I didn't try. Arigato, Tezuka-san. I owe you heaps by now." Reiko flashed him a grateful smile as she slid open the classroom door, earning her classmates' attentions.

Kikumaru immediately left his conversation with Fuji and excitedly rushed to the door as he spotted the distinct raven hair and pale skin that appeared just outside the classroom.

"Nya! Rei-cha—Hoi?" The charging Kikumaru came to an abrupt stop when he saw a smiling Reiko talking to another familiar figure. His eyes bugled out as he realized who Reiko was in conversation with.

"E-Eiji?!" Reiko exclaimed in surprise.

"Rei-chan?" Kikumaru puzzlingly pointed at Reiko before turning his head to his one and only buchou. "Tezuka?" Kikumaru pointed again, still confused.

"Rei-chan? Tezuka? Rei-chan? Tezuka?" Kikumaru perplexedly pointed at the two alternately. He remembered hearing an earlier rumour from one of his classmates who claimed having seen Tezuka and Reiko walking to the tennis grounds together when the worried redhead asked around for the girl's whereabouts after he attempted to visit his "dying" friend in the clinic, but found her missing instead. His brain seemed to break down when he tried to comprehend why Tezuka and Reiko would even be seen together, let alone be conversing.

"I guess I'll see you around Tezuka-san." Reiko took her books from the nonchalant tennis captain's strong arms and bowed her head courteously.

"Aa..." Tezuka replied as he gave the girl a polite nod before heading his own way.

Reiko turned around to meet the extremely red Kikumaru, who looked like he would burst any minute, the probing stares from Chiharu and Ayumi, and the inquisitive looks on her dumbstruck classmates' faces.

"Nya! Rei-chan! Why were you with buchou? Nande nande nande??" Kikumaru animatedly barraged the pale-faced girl with a series of "Why?" questions the instant Tezuka was out of sight.

Reiko heaved a heavy sigh before deciding to ignore the prodding Kikumaru and headed to her seat. She then spotted her seatmate/nemesis eye her with his usual sly smile, a hand under his chin to indicate that he too was curious and investigating.

Reiko's blood started to simmer past boiling temperature as she remembered how he had set her up to guzzle Inui's painfully revolting concoction that caused her to up chuck everything she possibly could and turned her into a pain in the butt for Tezuka.

"Fuji TEME!!" Reiko fumed as she stomped faster to the resident tensai's seat and strangled him by his shirt collar.

_I see you enjoyed the 'appetizer'. Get ready for the main course, Hasegawa-san. _Fuji allowed himself to be rattleed violently while keeping his hand under his chin, his trademark sadistic smile still plastered on his face.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

Tezuka took out his black N95 from his pocket again as soon as he opened his locker. His ears seemed to have blocked out the loud melee that came from a nearby classroom as hell broke loose. He eyed the screen of his mobile phone in anticipation.

"_Setting 'TezuRei.jpg' as wallpaper"_

"_Wallpaper set"_

Satisfied, Seigaku's allegedly unemotional tennis captain placed the mobile phone in his breast pocket before proceeding to take out his books for the next two periods. Just before he closed his locker, the tight-lipped boy felt his mouth twitch slightly as it stretched a millimetre wider.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Like what I said at the beginning, please don't forget to leave me any sort of feedback! It may not seem like a big thing to others, but I personally want to know which areas I need to improve, even when I said I don't plan on becoming a professional writer. Try to understand that I'm asking for feedback to provide a more enjoyably read! Thanks!


	12. Seigaku's Turbulent Future: CLP!

**Author's Notes: **

Anyone seen the latest episodes of Prince of Tennis? OVA 18 and 19?! SO COOOOL! LOL! Apologies for not updating in aaaages... I'm buried in homework at the moment.

Anyway... Don't forget to read and REVIEW!! I might not update until 2 weeks from now, or then again, I might update again tomorrow. Meh, it all depends on the number of reviews I get and how quickly I can proof-read the following chaps! Mwahahahaha!

OHHH! I need a beta! I don't wanna use my sister, so anyone interested let me know! THANK YOU!

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**Wednesday, First Period Biology...**

Reiko was busy strangling the life out of the effervescently smiling Fuji, or rather his collar, when Honda-sensei stepped into the classroom for biology. Reiko stopped along the lines of "Fuji Teme" at the sight of the wide-eyed biology teacher who stared at her in mild shock. She quickly let go of the battered collar and instantly sat down on her seat, hands clasped together, a bright smile plastered on her face. All she needed was the halo that may as well be sitting on top of the two imaginary horns on top of her head.

"Okaaaaay..." Honda-sensei started as he raised a brow at his oddball of a student before proceeding to the teacher's table to put his things down.

"Sorry I'm late class, the faculty meeting this morning dragged on a little longer." Honda-sensei apologised whilst laying his belongings on the table.

"Apparently the school is planning to 'test-run' a new system." The biology teacher air quoted the words "test run" before taking out a black marker from his bundle of items. He looked up to find eager looks on his students' faces, all with perked up ears that were keen to hear more about the "big news".

"Oh, Curious are we? Sorry, but I'm in no position to brief you on this matter. Kawasaki-sensei will tell you in his own time, because my biology time is sacred." Honda-sensei finished with a lame attempt for humour and a teasing wink that led to a series of flabbergasted sighs from his "eager" students.

"Now now, let's all get our text books out while we're still all keen to learn." The biology teacher let out a light chuckle at the disappointed groans from his students after he killed the hype that he made himself.

* * *

**Recess...**

"I wonder what Honda-sensei meant by "new system"..." Chiharu muttered as she and her 2 friends squeezed their way through the hoard of students that mobbed the cafeteria. Ayumi could only shrug her shoulders, having no idea at what their biology teacher meant by "new system". The two faced Reiko for an answer but found she was too busy looking for seats to pay attention to the conversation.

"Why did we decide to eat in the cafeteria today anyway?" Reiko asked annoyed, the frustration of having to find 3 decent seats among the multitude of students that overwhelmed the Seigaku cafeteria now took its toll.

Reiko put a hand on her waist and impatiently waited for an answer from her two friends, who only flashed her sheepish grins.

"There!" Chiharu squealed in delight as she waved her hand at someone who was positioned behind Reiko.

The bespectacled girl stepped back at the sudden outburst before turning around to see who her friend was waving to. She rolled her eyes behind her spectacles when she saw the person her overjoyed friend gesticulated.

"Oishi-kun!" Chiharu called out as she sprinted toward the tennis team's vice captain in excitement. Ayumi automatically followed her friend, bento in hand while Reiko begrudgingly dragged her legs toward 3 joined tables; 8 seats empty and 4 currently occupied.

Oishi, who was enthusiastically waving at her Hazel-eyed friend, sat at the right-most end of the table. Echizen and Momoshiro sat across each other somewhere in the middle section of the table. Reiko noticed the freshman had a subtly cracked grin as he watched his spiky-haired senpai almost choke as he tried to chug down a cow-sized burger in one bite. Kawamura sat a seat away from the left-most seat, opposite Oishi, while quietly eating his bento. Reiko was about to take a seat beside the brown haired-boy when...

"Ii data..." Reiko instantaneously hissed at the figure that suddenly appeared. Popping out of nowhere, like a mushroom, Inui was now comfortably seated on the next chair, notebook and pen in hand, his lonely tray of food seemed to have gathered cobwebs as the data-obsessed man took it for granted.

The bespectacled girl rubbed her eyes violently. She wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her, or things suddenly moved in "hyperspeed". One minute Inui was nowhere in sight, the next second he was nestled next to the seat she was about to take. After another nanosecond, the pale girl found herself rudely shoved off to the next table and saw her "friend" Ayumi happily sitting on her supposed seat. Reiko heaved a deep sigh before deciding to take the seat across Kawamura instead.

Everyone was busily entranced in their own conversations until the dejected girl took her bento out and revealed a mouth-watering beef stir-fry, with fried rice, deliciously decorated with carrots on top and broccoli on the side. Everyone on the table salivated as at the sight of the pale-faced girl's meal.

"Ick! I don't like you... I don't like you... I especially don't like you!" Reiko put on a sour face as she picked the vegetables out of her food and placed it her bento's cover. A broccoli was caught in between her chopsticks in mid-air. Everyone looked in horror as the monster that is Hasegawa Reiko ruined the gloriously palatable meal into something ordinary.

"What?" The "gourmet murderer" asked innocently after seeing the look on everyone's face. Reiko shrugged and decided to brush the thought away as she got ready to eat her food.

"Itadakimasu!" Reiko excitedly announced as she dug in her food. A piece of beef was midway towards Reiko's mouth when a familiar voice rang through the air, making the now appalled girl drop the "sacred" meat on the table. Everyone gasped while Inui scribbled madly on his notebook.

"Data for recess again, Inui?" The playful voice of Fuji Syusuke snapped everyone back to Earth. Reiko looked trepid while slowly tilting her head. Her fear was confirmed when she saw the interminably smiling face of her arch foe. Alarm bells rang noisily in her head as he pulled the chair to her right and sat down.

"Ne Hasegawa-san, haven't learned to eat vegetables yet, have we?" Fuji acknowledged the horror-struck girl, who had just snapped her chopsticks in mid-air. She was about to cough out a come-back when the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted. Reiko turned to her left and found the perpetually stoic face of the Seigaku team tennis captain. He pulled out the left-most chair of the table, which happened to be beside her as well.

Mixed emotions were now overwhelming the bespectacled girl's insides. One half was besieged with anger toward her nemesis, the other half was insanely delighted over the fact that her object-of-affection decided to sit beside her. One more blow and the poor girl was going to snap.

"Hoi! Sorry we're late! The line in the candy stall was so long I had to drag Kaidoh with me to scare the 'kids' away, nya!" The hyper-active redhead disrupted the tension that enveloped the table, beaming as he apologized. Kaidoh looked worn out and abused as he walked in tow, dragging an ominous aura to the table.

Kikumaru's bright blue eyes twinkled in excitement as he looked around the table and spotted the familiar raven hair and pale face that belonged to his friend and classmate.

"Hoi? Rei-chan is eating with us?!" The redhead bounced up to Reiko whilst carrying nearly a dozen paper bags.

"Hey Eiji." Reiko sounded exasperated as she greeted the "human ball of energy".

"NYA?! You sound so tired, Rei-chan. Still feeling sick from this morning?" Kikumaru worriedly inquired as he searched for something in his pile of paper bags.

"Aha!" Kikumaru exclaimed as he found what he was looking for. "I know what'll boost your energy levels up, nya!" Kikumaru declared happily. He opened up a white paper bag and held it out to offer it to his friend.

"Want some eyeballs?" Kikumaru asked enthusiastically. Reiko's raven hair turned white in colour as she inspected the contents of the paper bag. Inside sat a dozen or so eyeballs that jiggled at the slightest movement of Kikumaru's hand. Reiko put a hand on her mouth as she abruptly stood up and sprinted to the ladies' toilets to replay that morning's "gagging session".

Everyone obliviously looked at each other for an answer when...

"Saa... Lollies for recess again, Eiji?" Fuji held his hand out while Kikumaru nodded his head, still looking confused. The redhead gave his friend a handful of, the now confirmed, eyeball lollies as he sat down on Reiko's deserted seat.

"Did I say anything wrong, nya?" Kikumaru confusedly asked an open question while looking around the table. He looked at his captain, who remained unfazed while eating his food, then looked to his right, only to find Fuji flash him a playful smile before popping an eye in his mouth. Kikumaru heaved a deep sigh as he decided to shake the lingering thought away and searched for his bag of gummy bears.

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**Next Period English...**

Chiharu and Ayumi, with Fuji and Kikumaru in tow, entered the classroom to find their raven-haired friend quietly sitting behind her desk, pencil in hand and maths book wide open.

"Reiko-chan, what happened during recess? You totally freaked when Eiji-kun offered you some of his eyes." Chiharu asked as she approached her "nerding" friend. Reiko instantly dropped her pencil and looked at her hazel-eyed friend as if a mushroom, like Inui, popped out on her head from nowhere.

"You do know they were lollies right?" Ayumi inquired, joining in the conversation. A mental brick hit Reiko on the head when she realized the eyes in Kikumaru's paper bag were actually candy. She mentally scolded herself for being stupid enough to think the eyeballs were 'genuine'.

"Of course I did!" Reiko said abruptly whilst trying to hold down a nervous chuckle. "There was something wrong-with-my-beef... That I had-to-go to the toilet..." Reiko said stiffly as she made up an excuse on the spot.

"What do you think the "big news" is all about?" Reiko quickly added to change the topic before her friends asked her "follow-up questions".

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!" Chiharu-exclaimed as she remembered how her biology teacher accidentally "leaked" out reserved information.

"I guess we'll find out soon, ne?" Fuji chimed in as he sat down on his seat. "We have English next." The resident tensai pointed out the classroom door with Kawasaki-sensei's familiar figure on the other side. The two girls rushed to their seats excitedly realizing English class was about to start.

The excited redhead looked like he was about to explode, his face matching the colour of his hair, cheeks inflated after sucking every ounce of oxygen his body could take in, the instant the silhouette of his English/Homeroom teacher came into view.

Everyone held their breath as they turned their heads to the sound of the door opening. The look of anticipation intensified at the familiar figure that graced their classroom. Time seemed to drag on as their English teacher placed his belongings down on the teacher's table, as if in slow motion. Kawasaki-sensei noticed the look of expectation in his students' faces and cracked a mischievous smile.

"Glad to see you all missed me." greeted the impish English teacher as he stood in the middle of the podium. _Honda, that bastard and his big mouth. He must've given them hints. _The sly teacher thought jokingly as he purposely moved slowly to aggravate his students some more. His antics seemed to have worked as displeased grunts erupted in the room.

_Hurry up already! _Ayumi thought in irritation as she restlessly tapped her pen on the desk. She looked around and found the same agitated looks on her classmates' faces. She wasn't too surprised when she spotted their resident tensai with a playful smile on his face and a hand under his chin, intentionally faking a look of interest.

_He must be enjoying every moment of this. _Reiko thought in her seat as she too subtly observed her seatmate. She averted her attention to the front of the room when she heard Kawasaki-sensei clear his throat.

"Okay class, I see you've all been given hints about the "big news" by Honda-sensei." The English teacher started.

"I'm not supposed to tell you anything until homeroom this afternoon but seeing you've all suffered enough, I guess I'll give you all a break." Excited shrieks echoed through the classroom as the eager students shifted restlessly in their seats in exhilaration.

"At the conclusion of the Faculty meeting this morning, the school has concluded to test run a new system designed to push the school's academic standards on a whole new level, but also promote the sense of responsibility among each student." Everyone remained quiet as their teacher began his "revelation".

"So, what is this new system? Well, the school's Academic Committee has decided to call it 'CLP'." Kawasaki-sensei inwardly chuckled when the excited looks on his students' faces vanished, and was instantly replaced with blank looks of confusion.

"Cooperative Learning Pairs." The English teacher declared as he wrote the three words on the board. When he finished, he turned his head back to his class and felt his eye twitch at the clueless expression in each one's face.

"If students payed attention in class, teachers wouldn't have to be explaining something so elementary all over again." Everyone sunk back in their seats in embarrassment as Kawasaki-sensei sighed heavily before starting to explain what each word meant.

Reiko swallowed the huge lump on her throat as she read the words that were boldly written on the board. Being an above average English student, she knew exactly what the words: COOPERATIVE LEARNING and PAIRS meant; and frankly speaking, "doubles" isn't exactly her forte.

A series of understanding "AHs" echoed through the room at the end of their English teacher's explanation. Not more than five seconds later, the "Ahs" were followed by excited "OOHs" now that they knew what the words meant.

"Okay, now that we've all been enlightened, I shall continue explaining how the CLP system works." Everyone listened attentively this time as their homeroom/English teacher began to elaborate.

"Okay, basically, everyone will be paired up with another student, and this pairing will last throughout the end of the school year. Once you have been allocated a partner, under no circumstances are you allowed to trade partners with other people. Once the pairing is set, that is final." Kawasaki-sensei eyed his students sternly and continued when he saw them all nod in agreement.

"So how does the grading system work? Well, mainly, EVERYTHING your partner does will affect you."

"Academically, IF your partner does not do well in class, your grades WILL be pulled down until a mean between both you and your partner's grades is achieved, hence the term "Cooperative". This rule also applies in other areas such as attendance and conduct, not just academics."

"If your partner is stuck in detention, you will have to share the pain WITH them. When your partner is absent, it is up to you to find out why. It will now be your job to make sure they do their homework. If your partner is the class dud, YOU will have to make sure they are not struggling in class. Therefore it is up to the BOTH of you to decide how you will work together. You will definitely have to work together so that both can benefit from the partnership."

"Everything will be marked by pairs, the only thing that will be graded individually are exams." Kawasaki-sensei paused when he saw one of his students raise his hand.

"Yes, Kitano-kun, do you have a question?" Kawasaki-sensei inquired as he acknowledged the raised hand in the middle of the third column of seats.

"What if your partner refuses to cooperate?" The class nerd/resident suck-up asked.

"Ah, good question. Heavy consequences await those who refuse to abide the "by-laws" of this system. Punishments will vary to suit the degree of violation, from detention, to something as severe as suspension or maybe even expulsion. Of course the partners will also share these consequences. That is why you HAVE to successfully negotiate with one another and decide whether you will push each other up, or bring each other down."

"Seeing you've all worked hard to get to the final year of junior high, I am assuming you are all serious about pursuing higher education?" Kawasaki-sensei eyed his students carefully and inwardly felt relieved when everyone nodded to confirm his assumption.

"Then please do not waste 3 years of hard work by doing something as foolish as disregarding the new system. The rules are simple enough; all you have to do is work together." Kawasaki-sensei finished firmly.

"Okay. Pairing." Kawasaki-sensei started, everyone then leaned forward in excitement, eager to finally know how they will be assigned their "other halves".

"Homeroom teachers will be responsible for allocating pairs in their respective classes to ensure students are coupled justly." Kawasaki-sensei started again.

"Seeing there aren't really any hoodlums in my class, this is how you're lazy teacher, that's me, decided to pair you all." Time seemed to stop for everyone as they impatiently anticipated their homeroom teacher's next words.

"1st column, 3rd column and 5th column, look to your left." Kawasaki-sensei ordered while his students obeyed with clueless looks. "2nd column, 4th column and 6th column, look to your right." The sensei continued. Reiko who was in the 5th column, felt her eye twitch when she met the eternally smiling face of her arch nemesis. She felt wary as she took in the ominous signs that she feared led to one thing definitely foreboding.

"Okay, remember the face in front of you, you'll be seeing it a lot for the rest of the year. Say "Hello Partner" because you are looking at your other half!" Kawasaki-sensei announced enthusiastically.

Delighted shrieks filled the air, for most of its students sat next to their closest friends in class. Mostly everyone felt relieved when they realized they have been spared from the torture of probably having to convince an obstinate person to cooperate with them. The celebration abruptly stopped when shrills of the disappointed minority erupted in chorus.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Everyone turned blue at what they saw:

The appalled look on their resident suck-up Kitano, when he realized that he was paired with the class gas-bag whom everyone referred to as 'Beans'—with his approval of course.

The fuming Hasegawa Reiko, who sent daggers, despite her eyes being hidden behind her glasses, at their innocently smiling resident tensai, Fuji Syusuke.

The displeased Fuji brigade that sent death glares from all over the room at their fuming bespectacled classmate, probably for sending death glares to their almighty "Fuji-sama", or for being partnered with him.

The uncomfortable silence was interrupted by Kawasaki-sensei as he cleared his throat to ease the tension in his class.

"Like I said, the pairing is final, swapping is prohibited." Kawasaki-sensei announced before starting to his table. "

"Now, everyone settle down and get your novels out, we'll start from the page we left off." The class of 3-6 obediently followed their teacher's instructions and opened their "Little Prince" books to the page they left during the last session.

Reiko begrudgingly took her book out of her bag and slammed it on the table before opening it to the appropriate page. She eyed her nemesis, and now established permanent partner for the rest of the year, irritably and felt the hairs on her arms rise when she saw him looking at her with a gleaming sadistic smile while mouthing the words:

"Hello, partner."

Before going back to his book, "Generals Die in Bed", that was covered by the "Little Prince".

Ayumi and Chiharu both felt cold sweat trickle down their spine as they watched the two from their seats. They sighed in unison as they turned to their teacher who innocently read the book out loud to the class. Kawasaki-sensei had no knowledge of the chaos that would consume all of Seigaku.

A few minutes into English class and...

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!"

"Feels like deja vu, ne Hasegawa-san?" Reiko's pencil, which was currently being used by its owner to carve colorful death notes on her desk, poked right through the piece of wood that was about 2 inches thick. The bespectacled girl fumed while struggling to pull the "Exaclibur" of pencils from desk. Fuji smiled contentedly as he watched the scene before him.

"Ne, Yumi-chan, doesn't that sound like Momo-kun?" Chiharu nosily asked her friend who only shrugged her shoulders in disinterest as she elusively watched the tensai and the grouch from the corner of her eye.

_Geez... I don't have to be a fortune-teller to predict that Seigaku is headed toward a turbulent future. _Ayumi's palms started to sweat uncontrollably as she struggled to ignore the pernicious war that was faintly going on at the back.

* * *

**After school tennis practice...**

"Nyahahahahaha!" Kikumaru burst into fits of laughter along with Horio, Katsuo and Kachiro, while Echizen had a smug smirk on his face when Momoshiro told them about what happened earlier.

_**Flashback**_

_Momoshiro was deviously eating a brownie while hiding behind his large geometry textbook as his homeroom teacher briefed their class about the new CLP system. Class 2-8's homeroom teacher decided to draw lots to decide the pairings in his class._

_Momoshiro was the last person to pick a name out of the tissue box that was used to contain the pieces of paper with each of the 2-8 students' names. He blindly felt the inside of the box as he let his hand search for a folded piece of paper. He looked at his teacher blankly when he realized there was none inside the box._

"_Ah! Momoshiro-kun, I almost forgot! Since this class has an odd number of students, you'll have to be paired with someone from class 2-7." The absent-minded teacher gave the spiky-haired boy a sheepish grin before taking her diary and opening it to a page with a post-it note on it._

"_Toyama-sensei of 2-7 has already given me the name of your partner. I think you'll be very pleased to know that your assigned partner is also a member of your tennis club, Kaidoh Kaoru." The clueless and unsuspecting homeroom teacher gave her student a warm smile that instantaneously disappeared afterMomoshiro's outburst when his brain registered what his sensei has just said._

"_NOOOOOOOOOO!!"_

_The class of 2-8 ended up having the rest of the period free when their homeroom teacher was rushed to Tokyo Hospital's Emergency Room for severe ear bleeding._

_**End of Flashback**_

"Mou! Eiji-senpai. I don't see how this is funny at all!" Momoshiro exclaimed as he tried to calm down his hysterical senpai.

"BWAHAHA-HEHEHE-HIHIHIHI!" Kikumaru was now rolling on the floor, laughing as he tried to imagine the look on Kaidoh's face when he found out.

"Senpai, here comes your soul mate." Ryoma's smirk grew wider as he pointed towards his ill-tempered senpai who was walking toward their direction. The three other freshmen held their breaths as they tried to stop themselves from bursting into fits of laughter.

"Fsshhh! Buchou is calling us, baka!" The three freshmen stiffened as Kaidoh shot them death glares while calling his "partner" to the club house.

"How was I supposed to know he called for us, Mamushi?!" The spiky-haired boy shot back as he felt his temper rise at the sight of his rival.

"What did you call me, do'aho?" The two were about to start another brawl when they felt the ground tremor. Everyone looked up and found a stomping Reiko approach the tennis courts with the ever smiling Fuji Syusuke not too far behind.

"Are? Don't tell me they're—" Momoshiro didn't dare finish his question when the fuming Reiko gave him a spine chilling glare.

"This can't be good. She looks like she's going to murder Fuji-senpai any second now." Horio whispered to his friends as he watched the steaming Reiko approach the varsity members, Fuji still in tow.

"Geez! Fuji-senpai should really stop provoking her! I'm starting to get nervous!" Momoshiro yelped as he watched the two's public display of abhorrence.

"Fuji."

Everyone sighed in relief as they heard the ever-so reliable Tezuka Kunimitsu call their "friendly neighbourhood" sadist, who instantly stopped infuriating the pale-faced girl who was at the brink of eruption to approach his buchou.

"Whew! That was too close!" Horio cried out while fanning himself with his hand. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Are? Where did Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai go?" The brown-haired boy with the unibrow asked as he looked around for his senpais. His eyes bulged out when he spotted the familiar figure of Sakuno Ryuzaki who was being followed by freshman heart throb Tago Hideki.

"Ara! What's Hideki doing with Ryuzaki?!" Horio exclaimed loudly.

"Ah... Hideki is Ryuzaki's assigned cooperative learning partner. How lucky." Kato declared as he spotted the two walking from a distance.

"Eh? What do you mean "lucky"?" Katsuo curiously asked.

"Didn't you know? Hideki has had a crush on Ryuzaki since the first day! He's been trying to catch her attention ever since but Ryuzaki already has her eyes set on "someone". Besides, they're both straight A students, so they wouldn't have a problem when their grades are averaged." Horio answered in his I-know-it-all mode while eyeing Echizen as he emphasized the word "someone".

"Nya?! Our Ochibi has a rival? And a smart one?!" Kikumaru exclaimed after eavesdropping on his kouhais' conversation. Echizen gave his senpai an unnerving glare which didn't seem to have an effect as his extremely dense senpai egged the freshmen to tell him more.

"Demo, I pity Ryuzaki. I bet all the girl's will start making her life a living hell after today." The mushroom haired boy uttered in a concerned tone.

"Eh? Why?!" Horio asked. Bewildered that there was information he did not know about.

"Hideki is really popular among the girls in our year. I'm pretty sure a lot of girls are envious of Ryuzaki right now, especially since they know Hideki likes her. They'll definitely torment her for that." Katsuo explained as he followed Sakuno's figure with a concerned gaze.

"Nya! Hear that Ochibi? You have to protect Sakuno from evil freshman girls to win her back, but you mustn't underestimate the competition!" Kikumaru exclaimed in excitement as he grabbed Echizen for a death hug.

"Che... Mada mada dane, senpai." Echizen abruptly brushed Kikumaru's arm off to free himself from the "headlock" before heading toward the regulars.

"What's wrong with Ryoma?" The mushroom haired boy asked his friends, clueless.

"You're hopeless." Katsuo reprimanded.

"Hoi! See that?! Ochibi is clueless when it comes to these "things". It's up to us to guide him and lead him the "right way"!" Kikumaru's eyes glimmered with determination as he put his arms over the three freshmen.

"Mou! This new system is such a nuisance!" Horio exasperated as he and his two friends reluctantly allowed themselves to get dragged by their meddlesome senpai into trouble.

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**Author's Notes:**

I feel like I got lazy towards the end. Anyway, I'll keep checking on this chapter to look at parts that needs correction or improvement. If you find anything, please don't hesitate to bring it to my attention!

**My awesome readers:**

**seshata4434, fujilovesme, electiceyes, jadeskye79**

Thanks for being so consistent with my story! All the positive feedback coming from you guys motivate me to keep putting a hundred and ten percent every time I write another chapter! Thanks so much for all the encouragement!

**demonsadist**

I can see your reading my humble piece of writing at the moment! Your reviews totally made my day, since I've been doing nothing but maths (calc, trig, physics...) for 6 hours now... Thanks for your effort in giving me a review at each chapter, they're motivation for me to write better!

I'm really glad your liking my fic so far. I only hope I don't disappoint you as Iwrite the future chapters.

**And finally...**

All of you have been totally awesome readers! Despite my meager amount of reviews, its because of readers like you that I still have the "will power" to continue writing! I really appreciate the support and encouragement.

I just wanna say (and advise you) that this fic is definitely far from over, and there's still a looooong way to go ("Mada mada dane"), and I hope all of you stay with me till the end! I have a lot of surprises in store for you guys in the later chaps, take it as my thanks to you!

THANKS A HEAP!


	13. Reiko's Glasses

**Author's Notes:**

I'd just like to say everything will be explained in due time. I shall take this opportunity to let my readers' minds wander and jump to conclusions. MWAHAHAHA! Be confused! LOL! Everything will clear itself out in the later chaps! Anyway, ENJOY the loooong chapter ahead!

**For the People who will be confused after reading this chapter...**

Sorry, but this is how I'll write my fic. You're MEANT to be confused right now, because I want you all to go "AAHHH" when you read the later chaps. Anyway, if you need clearing up with what happens in this chapter, check out CHAPTER 1, when they first bump into each other. It would probably be the best explanation, for now.

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**School**

Fuji arrived 15 minutes before the first bell, his demeanour remained cheerful despite knowing there was a tennis club meeting that morning and that his ever so stoic captain would later impassively unleash his wrath upon him for not turning up to the meeting if he didn't have a reasonable excuse.

His brain had conjured yet another devious plot to send his partner/neighbour/nemesis to a raging fit, and eager to test it out immediately, he took the time that morning to prepare all that he needed for his scheme.

"I guess I'll just have to come up with an excuse later." The menace told himself nonchalantly.

He got to his seat and started setting up the materials for his experiment. He had just finished placing the final item in position when he heard the familiar voice of his red-headed friend who had just entered the classroom with the 3 girls.

"Nya! I can't believe the regionals are already next week! I can't wait!" Kikumaru exclaimed excitedly.

"Eiji, must you feel excited about everything? Don't you feel the least bit nervous?" Ayumi asked wondering how her hyperactive classmate could still remain so carefree despite being informed about something of utter importance in such short notice.

"Hoi? Why would I feel nervous when I've been training hard for it?" came the bouncy redhead's straightforward reply. Ayumi realized how much sense the carefree red-head's answer was, however simple it may be. Why should she feel nervous about the regionals when she and her team mates have been working their asses off at practice? She gave herself a mental slap for complicating things too much before heading to her seat.

"Fujiko! You missed the meeting! Your legs better be ready for the amount of laps Tezuka will give you when he sees you." warned the worried Kikumaru when he spotted his brown-haired friend.

"Saa... I guess I'll have to prepare then." Fuji casually replied seeming untroubled.

Reiko who overheard the conversation, flashed the brown-haired boy an uncanny look before proceeding to her seat.

_How could you not fear Tezuka-san's 'Laps of Fury'?_ She decided to shrug the thought away and thanked the gods it wasn't her who'll end up with sore feet.

As soon as she plopped herself down on her seat, Reiko took out her planner to check out her timetable. Her jaw dropped when she saw she had history for a double period after recess. Her teacher may be as dull as a brick, but he made sure his class wouldn't bore themselves to sleep by burying them in lecture notes. Reiko's feet may be safe and comfortable, but her hand will surely be bleeding and blistered after a double period of the subject.

A few minutes into the first period and Reiko's eye was already twitching in annoyance. Her seatmate seemed to have come across some 'technical pen problems' which caused him to incessantly tap it on his desk.

"Oi... Fuji... Quit it!" Reiko reprimanded in a hushed tone.

"Whatever do you mean?" The brown-haired boy asked innocently, his plastered smile irritating the bespectacled girl even more.

"That!" Reiko tapped her pen violently on her table, causing the sensei to stop her lecture and look to her direction. A flustered Reiko sunk down her seat in embarrassment after apologising.

"Gomen Hasegawa-san, it's just my pen seemed to have stopped working..." Fuji's request for forgiveness seemed to have taken the slumping girl by surprise. Reiko quirked a brow at her seatmate who busily shook his pen. What happened next was a blur, literally.

SPLAT!

Reiko froze at the wet sensation that hit her square on the face. One second everything seemed normal, the next second, she found black spots in everything she looked at. She looked to her left and found the spotted image of her seatmate with a hand covering his mouth, as if in shock, although she knew very well his gesture was not genuine. Her blood simmered as she eyed the pen on his hand, its butt covered in black ink. Oh yes, Fuji Syusuke's pen had just blotted black ink out of its butt and had conveniently found its way on Hasegawa Reiko's face.

Biting her tongue, the bespectacled girl reached for her bag to fish out her glasses case. She took a lens cloth out with one hand and clutched the stem of her glasses with the other. Fuji watched in amusement as he saw his seatmate wipe her spectacles without taking it off her face.

_I thought you'd be stubborn. _Fuji anticipated his opponent would not expose herself so easily, so he came prepared. _Wiping it would only make it worse. _Being the genius that he was Fuji made sure he filled his pen with oil based ink to prevent it from coming off when it was wiped.

"Grrr... What's up with this ink?" Reiko irately mumbled to herself as she furiously tried to wipe the ink off her glasses. She found the more she wiped the worse the ink spread. She snapped her head at her nemesis and found him watching her with an amused grin a small bottle of black oil based ink on his desk.

_He set this all up! That dirty little maggot!_

SCREEEEECH!

Everyone looked to the direction of the ear splitting sound of a chair being dragged forcefully on the floor. They found Reiko standing at the back of the room, her usually pale face had turned red as she glowered at her cooperative learning partner. Her uniform and face was decorated with black spots, her usually gleaming pair of spectacles had magically turned dark as sunglasses. Everyone including their teacher fell silent after sensing the tension between the 2 students. Ayumi, Chiharu and Kikumaru's jaws were wide ajar, hands muffling their ears for they knew what was about to come.

"Fuji... TE—"Reiko was about to belch out her trademark catchphrase when their chemistry teacher cleared her throat.

"Hasegawa..." The teacher started in a warning tone. Reiko clenched her fists as they felt the urge to smother the boy beside her.

"Go to the infirmary to get yourself cleaned up. You can purchase a new set of uniform there if you'd wish." The chemistry teacher commanded, noting the black stain that contrasted on the white and green uniform.

"Hai. Arigato Sensei." Reiko bowed her head before starting to the infirmary. Everyone sweat dropped when they saw their poor classmate couldn't even manage to safely get herself out of the classroom for she crashed into every table in front of her and nearly tripped on every bag that was in the way.

"Fuji, accompany your partner to the infirmary." with that, the sensei went back to her lecture.

"Hai." Fuji happily obliged to the teacher's command.

Reiko flinched when she felt Fuji's grip on her arm. Seeing she had no choice, she allowed herself to be guided out of the classroom by her brown-haired nemesis. The Fuji brigade's anguished cries resonated through the entire classroom when they saw their precious Fuji-sama, hand in hand, or rather; hand in arm with another girl.

"Ne Yumi-chan, why does Fuji-kun have to provoke Reiko-chan all the time?" Chiharu curiously asked as she watched her two classmates leave the room.

"Beats me..." Ayumi twirled her pen in her hand whilst answering disinterestedly.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

Tezuka, who was currently completing the last problem on his maths test, stopped in the middle of his solution when he looked out the window at the exact moment Reiko and Fuji walked by, hand in hand.

"Time's up. Pencils on your desk and pass your test papers forward." Sato-sensei's shrill voice echoed in the quiet classroom.

Tezuka's eye twitched when he saw his test paper and found he finished writing the solution to the problem but ran out of time to write the last line with the answer.

* * *

**Clinic...**

"Sorry Hasegawa, this is all I could do with your glasses." The nurse bowed her head in apology as she handed the pair of spectacles to the raven-haired girl who was currently tidying herself up inside the lavatory.

Reiko examined her spectacles and found the black ink had been wiped around the outer rim of the lenses so that the middle portion was clean.

"I guess I can work with this for now. Arigato." Reiko thanked the nurse as she tried on her glasses. The black ink around the rims made it impossible for her to use her peripheral vision but at least she could see straight. _I'll just have to adjust to this for the day. _It looked odd but it was not like she had a choice.Reiko made sure her face was literally spotless before stepping out of the lavatory with the new uniform on.

"How much is the uniform?" Reiko inquired. Fuji chuckled lightly when he saw the state of his partner's glasses. He was silenced by the reprimanding look that the nurse flashed him.

"10,500 yen. You can ask your parents for the money when you get home today and settle it tomorrow." The nurse declared as she wrote an invoice for Reiko.

The entertainment from Reiko's outburst during chemistry was enough to satisfy the brown-haired tensai for the day so he took the liberty of paying for the new set of uniform for his raven-haired companion. Of course his decision of paying landed him in another squabble with the said girl.

"We'll pay for it now." Fuji chimed in as he stood up from the bed he was sitting on, reaching for his wallet at his pants' rear pocket. He took out a bunch of bills and got the amount required to pay for the uniform.

_What's a middle school student doing with that much money? _The nurse was slightly taken aback by the wad of cash Fuji carried with him.

"I can pay for the uniform myself!" Reiko roared at her nemesis for the umpteenth time that day.

"Saa... But then your parents would wonder why you needed a new set of uniform." Fuji cleverly countered.

The nurse sweat dropped at the two's display. The bespectacled girl was at the verge of strangling the brown-haired boy who's smile only provoked the girl even more.

"Here's the receipt." The nurse quickly interrupted their fiasco before all hell broke loose.

"Arigato." Fuji flashed the nurse a charming smile, before following Reiko who stomped out of the room.

* * *

**Corridor...**

"Ne Hasegawa-san, can you only see ahead or can see your surroundings?" Fuji asked, his voice hinting a teasing tone.

"I wonder..." Reiko snapped sarcastically. Fuji's smile grew wider at the retort. He increased his pace so that he could walk side by side with his raven-haired companion. As soon as they were walking in line, he grabbed Reiko's arm to guide her once again.

"Che... Don't touch me!" Reiko brushed off as she increased her pace so that she was ahead.

"Saa... Suit yourself." Fuji put his hands in his pockets as he allowed the bespectacled girl to walk ahead of him.

A few minutes of silence...

"Left" Fuji directed as he saw the corner they were meant to turn.

Being the stubborn person that she was, Reiko decided she was not going to adhere to her nemesis' instruction and instead turned right, which led her to finding herself crash into a concrete wall and her butt kissing the cold floor.

"Ne, Hasegawa-san, do you have difficulty in telling your right from your left?" Fuji teasingly asked while trying to stifle chuckles so tempting to let out. He walked to her direction and found the familiar pair of smudged spectacles a few centimetres from his shoe and bent down to pick it up.

SLAP!

Fuji was slightly taken aback when he stretched out his hand to give the girl her glasses. His feet remained rooted to the floor at the revelation of Reiko's almond-shaped eyes. Golden glints glistened deep within fiery amber eyes that led old memories to surge in Fuji's mind.

_I know those eyes._

Although there was something different, he was certain he'd seed seen the deep amber orbs that glared at him blazing with fury.

"You... Tell me, do you find any satisfaction in my misery?" Fuji was speechless as he allowed himself to be engulfed by the flame in Reiko's eyes.

"Why do you enjoy picking on ME, can't you find someone else to torment?"

The feeling of guilt enveloped Fuji as he watched the raven-haired girl walk away. Deep cerulean orbs widened in realization as his brain pieced together bits of nearly forgotten memories after hearing the simple question. The very question that allowed him to make his first ever—

_Tomodachi..._

No wonder he felt the feeling of recognition the first time they bumped into each other. Had the raven-haired girl been able to see properly, the angry fire that burned in her eyes would have immediately been extinguished by the ocean blue orbs that she'd once come across.

_Don't you remember?_

Fuji asked her a silent question as he watched her retreating figure walk away.

_I found you, Reiko-chin._

For the first time, in a very long time, Fuji felt himself crack a genuine smile. He snapped out of his reverie when he realized Reiko's glasses were still in his left hand. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw the raven-haired girl was about to walk down a flight of stairs without knowing it. His feet swiftly found themselves dashing toward the girl's direction before his mind could order it to.

"Reiko!"

Fuji ran past the raven-haired girl, down the flight of stairs, when he saw it was too late to stop her from going down 7 steep steps. With his quick thinking and lightning fast reflexes, Fuji used his right hand to grab the railing on his left side and used it to turn himself so that he was facing Reiko. He stretched out his left arm and used it to envelope the girl that fell onto him. Suffice to say, Reiko's weight and the downward acceleration of gravity was too strong for Fuji and thus led him to lose his grip on the railing and fall 3 steps down, along with his precious cargo.

OOF!

When Reiko didn't feel any flooring, she realized she was going down a set of steps and braced herself for the fall. From experience, she expected the solid ground to be cold and hard, and hence she was surprised by the soft cushion that caught her fall. Since everything was a blur, she used her hands to distinguish what she'd landed on. Her hand fell on something she couldn't determine what and so decided to keep feeling. She stopped when her hand landed on something long which her brain registered as a limb.

"I think we've had enough touching and feeling for the day, ne Hasegawa-san?" Fuji's familiar voice made Reiko's cheeks burn furiously.

"EEP!" Reiko jumped backwards when she realized what IT was she felt.

"Oh my God, tell me that was your nose." Reiko pleaded in a horrified tone.

"Why yes Hasegawa-san that was my nose, because we grow limbs near our noses." Fuji uncharacteristically answered with sarcasm.

"Oh GOD!" Reiko shrieked while instantaneously jumping backward. Fuji immediately covered the girl's mouth before she disrupted the entire school population that was in class at the moment.

Fuji felt the pair of miraculously undamaged, other than being smudged, pair of spectacles on his hand. He took out his clean white handkerchief and wiped it before handing it to the mortified Reiko.

"Here, you dropped this... The first time you fell..." Reiko put on the pair of spectacles and found Fuji's effervescently smiling face staring back at her.

"I just—And now you're smile— YOU PERVERT!" Reiko was about to pummel Fuji's brains out when she saw him running his hand through brown locks that dangled in front of his face, exposing an open cut on his forehead.

"Oh my God! Fuji, you're bleeding!" Reiko panicked at the sight of the blood trickling down his forehead. She quickly took the white handkerchief on his hand and used it to wipe the blood.

"Who told you to play landing cushion anyway?!" Reiko whined, absentmindedly applying pressure on the open wound. She quickly apologised after seeing the brown haired boy flinch and wince in pain. She was slightly awed that he wasn't crying in pain, especially with a cut like that. Instead, he had his everlasting smile on. She then noticed something was different in his smile. It didn't seem like his usual plastered smile, no, this one seemed...

"Real..." Reiko blurted out unconsciously.

"Come again?" Fuji excused when he didn't quite catch what the raven-haired girl had said.

"Nothing... Come on. Let's get the nurse to look at that." Reiko stood up and offered her hand to help the brown-haired boy up.

"Ne Hasegawa-san, are you worried about me?" Fuji teased.

"I'm not the one who came rushing down the stairs." Reiko replied flatly as she increased her pace to walk ahead of her partner.

_I promised I'd protect you._

"Saa... Is it natural for you to leave injured people behind, Hasegawa-san?" Fuji teased once more.

"Teme..." He smirked when he saw his bespectacled companion slow her pace down so that he could catch up.

_I'll make you remember me._

And for the second time that day, Fuji found himself crack a heartfelt smile.

* * *

**Clinic...**

"Are, you two again? What seems to be the problem this time?" The nurse asked curiously, as she eyed the two oddly.

"He cut himself..." Reiko pointed to the smiling Fuji who took the handkerchief off his forehead to expose the open wound.

"How did that happen?" The nurse asked as she hurriedly looked for the first aid kit.

"This was white before." The brown-haired boy joked, which earned him a pitiless slap from his companion.

"AIYA! That might give him a severe concussion!" The nurse reprimanded while instructing Fuji to sit on one of the beds.

His eyes widened when he saw the needle and suture that the nurse held out.

"Ooh! Are you stitching it?" Reiko asked excitedly as she stood up to approach the two from her seat.

"Can I watch?" she inquired eagerly. Fuji shot a horrified look after the raven-haired girl revealed her morbid fascination with surgical stitching.

"Do as you wish..." The nurse said flatly while tapping on a mammoth-sized injection. Fuji gulped as the nurse approached to inject him some epidural.

* * *

**A Few minutes later...**

Recess had just ended when the nurse finished stitching Fuji's open wound. Reiko, who was bored after 10 minutes of watching, came back inside the infirmary with 2 bags of chips and 2 cans of lemon Ponta and found Fuji up on his feet and ready to leave.

"And I thought I could miss out on history..." Reiko pouted as she tossed a can of Ponta at her brown haired companion.

CLONK!

"OOPS! You were meant to catch it!" Reiko guiltily declared, crouching and biting her lower lip as if to empathize the boy's pain when the can ended up hitting him square on the face. Luckily, the stitch was done well enough that it didn't open up from the contact.

"Hasegawa-san! Be careful! The epidural hasn't worn off yet." The nurse reprimanded yet again. She turned to Fuji and told him that it would take at least 30 minutes for the drug to wear off and that he might feel slightly lightheaded in that period of time.

"You'll be fine though, just avoid moving around too much in that period." The nurse reminded as he gave Fuji the go signal to go back to his classroom after handing him and his partner two late passes.

"Well Hasegawa, don't just stand there, help your partner!" The nurse commanded.

"Oh, right!" Reiko took Fuji's arm to support him as he walked. The two thanked the nurse in unison before leaving the infirmary.

"What an odd couple." The nurse mumbled before she returned to her teen magazine.

* * *

**Corridor...**

"Oi Fuji..." Reiko started as they headed back to the classroom.

"Hmm?" came the brown-haired boy's lazy reply.

"Just so you don't think I'm a guiltless ungrateful bi—I just wanted to say thank you, for you know..." Reiko fumbled with her hands as she spoke, not removing her gaze off the floor.

"I'm sure you would've done it for me as well." Fuji replied casually.

"HAH! As if I would!" Reiko joked, which seemed to have stopped Fuji in his tracks.

"I kid! It was a joke!" she reasoned.

"Would you have done it if it was Tezuka?" Fuji mumbled, his distant gaze hiding behind honey brown locks.

"Sorry?" Reiko asked, not sure she heard right.

"You were saying..." Fuji quickly changed the topic.

"And... I also wanted to apologise for THAT..." Reiko looked up from the floor for the first time to reveal her deeply flushed face.

"It's not a big deal, pretend it never happened." Fuji started as he tried to ease the tension he sensed his companion was experiencing.

"God! Not that! I meant your cut! Why'd you have to remind me?!" Reiko quickened her pace, forgetting her arm was locked in her partner's as she tried to move away dragging him along.

"Ne, Hasegawa. Won't you slow down? The nurse said not to move too much." reminded the injured tennis prodigy. Reiko silently obeyed and an awkward silence enveloped the two.

"By the way, you owe me a new handkerchief." came Fuji's attempt to clear the atmosphere, which ended up ruining the only peaceful moment he and his partner shared since the start of school.

"As if! It was already stained when you used it to wipe my glasses!" Reiko retorted.

"It wouldn't have been dirty it if I hadn't cleaned your glasses, or part of it." Fuji calmly shot back.

"Okay. I owe you a new handkerchief, but you owe me new glasses." The raven-haired girl countered as they stopped in front of their classroom door. Finding the opportunity to stare into his long lost friend's eyes once more, Fuji swiftly reached out and took the pair of spectacles off her face.

"Fuji!" Reiko exclaimed

"Saa... I'll need this pair to get you new ones." Fuji teasingly declared as he taunted Reiko by dangling the glasses in front of her, then moving it away at the moment she reached for them.

"You don't understand! I won't be able to see without that!" Reiko protested as she blindly flailed her arms in the air in hopes it will magically find its way in her pair of spectacles.

Fuji froze as he observed the girl before him. Earlier, his mind was too busy piecing together old memories from his childhood that he wasn't able to fully look at her. Now, their close proximity allowed him to become mesmerized by her concealed beauty. He noticed how her button nose and almond-shaped eyes highlighted her oriental features perfectly. How her striking amber eyes reflected her every emotion and livened her pale face. Reiko would've successfully gotten the pair of spectacles back had Fuji not snapped himself out of his reverie with yet another scheme on time.

_I'll make you trust me again._

"Saa... partner..." Fuji started in a playful tone as he emphasized the word partner.

"Why don't we try a trust game?" he continued, his face cracking another devious grin. Reiko stopped jumping up and down like a mindless seagull who hadn't realized it had wings to listen to Fuji's proposal.

"Seeing we have history right now... And knowing how sensei loves to bury us in lecture notes, I dare you to go inside the room without your glasses, depending on me to dictate your notes." Fuji stopped to eye Reiko who was now starting to feel her temperature rise, again.

"Okay first of all, how is this exactly a trust game?" She asked while tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.

"Every time sensei asks a question, I will nominate you to answer it. And knowing sensei, he'll barrage us with questions whose answers lie in the billions of phrases most probably found in his lecture notes. And you should know, by your experience, how cross he gets whenever someone gets the answer wrong. So, it's up to you to believe the notes I relay to you." Fuji finished.

"Again... First of all, none of that made sense, and I still don't see how it's a trust game. Secondly, why would I play the trust game with a person I don't trust? Third, when do I get my glasses back?" Reiko's pale face was now red once again.

"There really is no other option since I don't intend to give these back till the end of the double period. Unless..." Fuji egged on as he dangled the pair of spectacles in front of the infuriated girl.

"Unless?" Reiko, now with a hand on her waist as he tapped her foot on the floor, waited impatiently for a reply.

"Well, if you really don't trust me with your notes, you can sit down on the only other empty seat in the front of the room, which happens to be next to Beans-san." Fuji finished with a triumphant smirk. Her reaction was not what Fuji had expected. In a split second he found his foot throbbing in pain after being stomped on by the infuriated Reiko.

"You suck!" She screamed at him for the last time before slamming the door open, causing all her classmates to look to her direction. Everyone gawked when they saw their pale-faced, raven-haired, usually bespectacled classmate, well, spectacle free. Everyone was too busy gaping to have noticed the haughty look on Fuji's face.

"Hoi? Is that really Rei-chan?! Kawaii!" Kikumaru exclaimed in delight as he watched his stunning friend walk to the front of the room to hand in her late pass, the exact same question played in everyone's heads.

The proud look quickly left the tennis prodigy's face when he was slightly taken back by Reiko's stubbornness. Instead of heading to her seat, she headed to the front and took a seat next to their resident 'Fartmeister'.

_Suit yourself, Reiko-chin. _Fuji put on his plastered smile once more before giving his history teacher his late pass and heading toward his own seat while trying to hide any indication of pain coming from his pulsating right foot.

"Is she insane?!" Chiharu almost exclaimed to the whole class if not for her trusty partner Ayumi who hushed her loudmouthed friend with a death glare. The look of admiration in the class' face quickly vanished when they realized where their raven-haired classmate chose to sit.

"Fuji must really be driving her insane." Ayumi mumbled as she watched her friend take a seat on their class room's very own 'Gas Chamber', or rather, 'Gas Chair'. She then fixed her eyes at the back of the room and found the privilege of finding deep cerulean orbs that were rarely exposed as his brown-haired classmate had his eyes half open, an underhanded grin spread across his face.

"EEP!" Kikumaru erupted once again. His history teacher shot him an unnerving stare to stop him from saying something else.

_What's he up to this time? _Ayumi asked herself before sighing and returning back to the board.

PRRRRRRRT!

5 minutes after sitting beside 'Beans' put Reiko into tears, his minute spurts of gas could may as well put the power of 10 onions to shame. It was hard enough when her brain was torturously being intoxicated by poison gas coming from the person beside her, but her brain trying to make out the tiny black squiggles on the board was too much. The whiteboard was already half full and she was still stuck trying to determine what the first word was. The glare from the sun which coincidentally focused on the seat she was in didn't make it any better.

_Any minute now... Might as well get laughs in doing it... _Fuji resisted the urge to chuckle out loud as he observed his cooperative learning partner cry in misery.

SCREEEECH!

The ear piercing sound of a chair being dragged across the floor deafened everyone in the room, again. The class' attention was once again directed to their amber-eyed classmate who now stood in the middle of the room.

"I can't take it anymore!" Everyone watched in mild amusement as they saw the teary-eyed Reiko hastily pack her things up and head back to her normal seat. She slammed her books on top of her much abused desk before sitting down. Her fiery eyes never leaving her smiley faced seat mate.

"Saa... How was it?" Fuji tried to ask innocently, although the teasing tone in his voice betrayed him straight away.

"I hate you..." she muttered to him under gritted teeth, only to find her brown-haired nemesis widen his smile as he got ready to dictate the notes on the board.

_For now, Reiko-chin. For now."_

Ayumi couldn't help but wonder when the seemingly endless squabbles would end as she watched another clash between fire and water.

One of Fuji's fan girls squealed in horror when her eyes wandered to the back of the room and found the bleeding obvious gauze pad on Fuji's forehead. Her anguished cry caused the herd to follow suit.

"KYAAAA! FUJI-SAMA!" The fuji brigade chorused causing the heavily bearded sensei to slam his hands on the teacher's desk to, once and for all, shut his students up.

30 minutes later...

"Nya! D-did that come from Rei-chan?!" The curious red-head exclaimed in bewilderment as his lagging brain registered the plaster on his friend's head. Everyone sweat dropped and the heavily bearded history teacher fell off the podium from his student's lack of 'mental awaress'.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**More Author's Notes: (Don't forget to Review on your way out!)**

What'd you think of this one. I started using the horizontal ruler button to separate different settings, WOOHOO! Wonder why I didn't think of that before. You'll find I painstakingly did the same with the previous chapters!

Chapter 14 already on its way! I'm seriously overflowing with ideas right now, I just want to put it all out in one chapter, but that's no good is it? Expect an update by Monday, 31st of April. I'm giving myself a deadline! If I don't live up to it, you can... slap me with a fish! HAHA! I'm pretty sure I should be able to post it by then since I finished all my Maths homework! Now I have physics! YEAHHHH! FUNNNN! Not...

Lastly, I thank those people who will review this chapter in advance! I'm definitely fired up by the feedback I got from the last one, depsite its meager amount... V V Again, if you're confused check back Chapter 1, or wait for the next chapter, coz there'll definitely be a lot of flashback, if not a lot, a long one.

**demonsadist**

No worries, I'll try to read your fic as soon as I find spare time. I'm on holidays at the moment and yet I still find myself buried in homework. I'm also training 6 hours each day for the two weeks of break but I'll definitely try to find time to read and review your fic! Till then!

'chin' is a mispronunciation of 'chan', steriotypically attributed to small children and thus perceived as baby talk, hence their association to cuteness.

(Many thanks to Wikipedia for the definition)


	14. The Brain That Won't Shut Up!

**Author's Notes**

I present you this short chapter to stick to my deadline. You'll find revelation number one is here, and to some, it might make sense of the previous chapter, although not fully. A whole lot more will revealed in the future chapters so please stay tuned.

I definitely have a surprise in store for you in the next 2 chapters, but I'm still in the process of reading over my work. Who's up for being a beta? I think I seriously need one.

By the way, can you guess what the common theme in each setting is in this chapter? Answer in the next chap!

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Friday Morning...**

It was 7 o'clock in the morning and only a few souls; 2 cleaners, the school principal and a raven-haired student, occupied the great halls of Seishun Gakuen Middle school. The slight thud of a locker door as its owner lightly closed it shut reverberated throughout the hollow senior corridor. Footsteps echoed with every stride as the lone figure of Hasegawa Reiko trotted along the empty hallway until it found its way out the school courtyard.

_I must be crazy to come to school this early. _The raven-haired girl thought as she walked toward a bench positioned under an old, shady maple tree. There was no scheduled morning practice on Fridays and yet she found herself in school at that hour. The truth was, she didn't get much sleep the previous night and decided she may as well head to school since she was already up.

A sudden deluge of the previous evening's dream found its way to the girl's thoughts as she propped herself down on the bench, as if wanting to be pondered on.

_Reiko's Dream_

_Reiko couldn't help but feel slightly alarmed when she found herself standing alone in the dark. Everything was pitch-black and Reiko tilted her head in all directions in a desperate attempt to make sense of her surroundings. Realizing her efforts were futile, she allowed the hot tears that have been threatening to come out, run down her eyes, the frustration that overwhelmed her evident in every sob._

"_Ne, why aren't you playing?"_

_The gentle sound of a child's voice caused the raven-haired girl's head to snap up._

"_B-because they'll l-laugh at me" she felt herself speak in between sobs as she gently rubbed her wet eyes. She looked up and found everything was still pitch-black, except for a hazy figure of a little boy standing before her. _

"_Y-you're talking to me?" she heard herself speak once more, her brain now registering she had company._

"_Of course I'm talking to you. I don't see anyone else here, silly."_ _She noticed the boy hid his face under his hair but the smile that was etched on it was far too radiant to be concealed._

"_I like you. Let's be friends!"_

_Everything suddenly became brighter when she took the outstretched hand that offered to help her up. Reiko found herself standing on lush green grass, a familiar tennis court in front of her and the back portion of her grandfather's house further ahead._

"_Un!" She enthused, feeling herself crack a smile at the boy who put her heart at ease. His image still remained hazy but she was happy nonetheless, happy that someone had finally offered to be her friend._

"_Let's play hide and seek!" suggested the boy excitedly. She felt herself nod._

"_I'll count first!" The boy exclaimed as he ran to the tall Sakura tree standing a few metres to the right of her grandfather's vegetable patch._

_She scurried to find a good hiding place as soon as she heard the boy start counting. She'd never felt happier in her life. Her pale skin and raven hair had always become a hindrance for her to make any friends. The neighbourhood kids would always run screaming "Ghost!" whenever she'd walk by and then later come back with the rest of the neighbourhood kids to hurl pebbles at her._

_1_

"_Ne, you don't think I'm scary?" She shouted to the boy while still looking for a place to hide._

_2_

"_No, why would I be scared?" asked the boy out loud in response._

_3_

"_The other kids always run away shouting "Ghost!" when they see me."_

_4_

"_You don't look like a ghost." The boy turned around to look at his new friend, only to be reprimanded._

_5_

"_No peeking!" She warned. The boy placed his head on his arms to cover his eyes once again._

_6_

"_I think you're kawaii. Like a panda bear!" She heard the boy giggle as he gave her an answer._

_7_

"_Panda?" She asked. She saw an open cabinet just inside her grandfather's shed big enough for her to hide. One of the doors had a hole instead of a handle on it. She quietly positioned herself in put her index finger in the hole so she could pull it to a close. She left a small gap for her to peek in and saw the boy still counting under the Sakura tree._

_8_

"_Un. Like a panda. White and black and fat and kawaii! Ne, I don't think you should be talking! It will be too easy for me to find you." The boy suggested._

_9_

_Reiko covered her mouth to suppress a giggle with one hand, and closed the cabinet door fully with the other, taking her index finger out of the hole to let air in. She didn't feel insulted that the boy called her fat. She was happy that she found such a weird friend that saw her pale skin and raven hair and stout figure resemble a bear. Being a panda was definitely an improvement from a ghost. She was relieved, relieved and overwhelmed with happiness._

_10_

_Reiko felt like eternity had passed and still the boy had not found her. Why was he taking so long? She asked herself. She presumed her hiding place must've really been a good one, for him to take so long to find her, and yet she felt anxious and impatient, and felt like she wanted to just jump out although she knew she would lose the game if she did._

_She peeked through the tiny hole to see where her playmate was looking, or what he was doing, and saw he was nowhere to be found. Seeing her friend was gone alarmed her. She then noticed how dark and stuffy it was inside the cabinet and contemplated whether or not she should jump out._

_When she finally came to a decision to jump out of her hiding place, she found herself standing alone in pitch-black darkness once again._

"_Oi! I give up! You win!" She shouted into nothingness, the echo of her own voice came the only response._

"_Where are you?" She heard herself mutter as tears began to stream down her eyes once more._

_End of Dream_

* * *

**School Courtyard...**

The little boy's hazy image kept appearing in Reiko's mind, and she couldn't understand why her brain had just suddenly decided to flood her head with nearly forgotten childhood memories. More so, she couldn't help but linger on the strange dream she had the previous night.

"I wonder what it meant." Reiko muttered to herself, staring off into space once again while she rattled her brain for an answer.

"Signs are there for you to heed, and if you do you'll find indeed, someone who'll be there when you're in need." Reiko snapped out of her trance at the statement and saw an old man, about four feet tall, dressed in a grey jumpsuit that had 'Joe's Cleaning Service' stitched on the left breast-pocket, walk by pushing a large green garbage bin with wheels.

"YODA?!" Reiko exclaimed while pointing a finger at the elder.

"Eh? Me?" The old cleaner looked confused as he pointed to himself as well.

"Hai! Your wisdom... it was... prophetic!" Reiko exclaimed, excited about the idea of meeting Yoda in disguise.

"You mean this?" The old man unfolded a strip of paper in his hand while popping half a fortune cookie in his mouth.

"HAH! Garbage! I was expecting the winning numbers for the next lottery!" The cleaner scoffed as he crumpled the strip of paper and chucked it inside the green garbage bin he was pushing. "The wisest advice I would give you is to get some more sleep!" The old man tugged on his hat and went on his way, leaving a dumbfounded Reiko that had fallen off the bench.

"Che! Green bins are for recyclables! So much for wisdom..." She grumbled as she stood up to dust her skirt. _Why do I even bother with these thoughts? _She thought while grabbing her sports bag and heading to the girl's locker area. She noticed there were few students that were already in school, all belonging to sporting clubs that had morning practice that day.

She decided to push the old memories at the back of her mind, thinking there was no point in contemplating events in the past. She decided she may as well go running since, she checked, she still had an hour and half before school started.

"Like I say with history, people who ponder on the past get stuck in the past." She muttered as she finished tying her hair up in a pony tail. She headed out the locker room and proceeded to the tennis grounds to do her running. Her pace slowed down when she heard the faint but distinct sound of a ball being hit. She concluded that it was indeed coming from the tennis courts when the thumping got louder as she neared her destination.

_There's no morning practice on Fridays. _

Reiko's eyes bulged out of their sockets when she spotted the distinct honey-brown hair of her nemesis from a few metres away. He didn't seem to notice her presence as he remained engrossed in his practice, his back still turned against her. Not knowing why, Reiko felt the urge to hide behind one of the trees that surrounded the courts, and she quietly did so.

Since the time she'd been on the varsity, she'd never seen Fuji as much as touch a racquet during training. She did her on-court training with Tezuka, and it so happened that the team did off-court drills when she was around. Now, she had the special privilege to watch him practice by himself with a racquet and a tennis ball.

She'd heard that he was a tennis prodigy, but she had yet to see the genius that he was on court. She gaped in awe as she watched him smash a tennis ball onto empty cans of soda with pin point accuracy. The power in his shots was nothing short of amazing, and the flattening of each can, as if it had been stepped on, could attest to that. She was awed by his perfect form and how he gracefully landed on his feet despite the amount of power he put in every shot and felt the nagging feeling that she'd seen the form before. She pushed the bridge of her glasses up as it slightly fell down her nose, never taking her eyes off the tennis court's sole occupant, who was now walking to the benches to grab another basket of 50 or so tennis balls.

If his smashes didn't fall short in amazing the bespectacled girl, Fuji's serve definitely left her speechless. At first, she speculated on the peculiarity of how he spins the ball before dropping it, but the after-effect left her at a loss for words. She didn't know if her eyes were playing tricks on her, or her brain needed more sleep, but it seemed like the ball had just vanished into thin air after being hit. She violently rubbed her eyes to see if she saw correctly and was staggered to find the same thing happen again, and again, and again, until all the balls in the basket were gone. Reiko's mouth hung wide open as her eyes remained fixed on the prodigy who now proceeded to picking up the hundred or so mass of tennis balls that scattered on the floor one by one.

"Saa... Do you mind handing me that ball? Hasegawa-san." Fuji playfully asked as he threw a bright yellow tennis ball toward the tall tree she hid behind.

"How did you—?" Reiko stammered as she bent down to pick up the ball. She then realized it was pointless to try and understand the genius that was Fuji Syuusuke and opted to shut her mouth instead.

"What was that serve?" She heard herself ask out loud as she approached the bench to take a racquet out of her sports bag.

"I just... practiced two types of serves... Hasegawa-san." Fuji panted in between words while wiping the sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his shirt at the same time.

"The one that... disappeared?" Reiko asked with uncertainty. She was confused whether the ball really vanished into thin air, or her eyes were deceiving her during the 50 times she saw the ball disappear.

"You just said it yourself. It's my disappearing serve, in its experimental stage." The brown-haired genius now approached the bench to grab a drink from his bundle of items. Reiko noticed how drenched his shirt was as it clung to his torso like a feathers to a chicken, and she mechanically grabbed a towel from his wide open bag and tossed it to him

"Thank you." He curtly replied before downing another mouthful of water.

"Have you been practicing for a while?" She asked absentmindedly, noticing the amount of sweat on him once again.

"Half an hour or so." He replied while wiping his arm with the towel.

"You made it seem so easy, like you weren't tired at all." She commented while dribbling a bright yellow ball on the ground.

"It is." Fuji cracked a teasing smile before wiping his face with the towel once again.

"Oh whatever Mr. Big-shot-I-got-mad-tennis-skills-all-bow-down-before-me." She retorted. Fuji watched the girl dribble the ball with her racquet in amusement.

"I see you can hit the ball now. I pray for the poor soul who must be patient enough to have taught you that much." The brown-haired boy cracked a devious smile as he proceeded with his daily ritual of badgering the raven-haired girl until each strand on her silky black locks turned white.

"Excuse me?!" Reiko scoffed before facing Fuji with a hand on her waist, now bouncing the ball in the air with her racket. "Why yes, and I can hit targets too. Watch." She bounced the ball in the air one final time before lightly hitting it toward the boy's face.

"I see we've established control as well." Fuji continued to taunt as he effortlessly caught the yellow ball the girl had cast. A playful smirk spread across his face as he continued to watch the girl who now spun the ball before dropping it, as if in attempt to mimic his disappearing serve.

"Ne Hasegawa-san, it'll never make it to the other side if you don—"Fuji's mouth was robbed out of words when he saw his cooperative learning partner spin the ball for the last time, allowing it to drop before hitting it over the other side from the baseline, the ball disappearing as soon as it crossed the net over to the other side.

"Not quite right." The bespectacled girl told herself, loud enough for her companion to hear before deciding to sit herself down on the bench. "But still, you were right, there isn't anything to it."

"Pardon my curiosity Hasegawa-san, but could you tell me, did you learn that just by observing me?" Fuji asked he would've assumed she had photographic memory, but decided it was probably not the case since the ball disappeared after it crossed the net, rather than after being hit. His distant gaze focused on the tree the girl used as a hiding spot while waiting for a response.

"I learned it by watching you do it 50 TIMES. I'm not that quick a learner." She caught a glimpse of Fuji's smile that widened slightly as he stood up from his seat.

"Tsk. You underestimate your ability too much. I guess there is no need for prayer. You learn rather quickly." He commented while silently marvelling at his companion's genius. Learning. Reiko was slightly taken back by the sudden compliment.

"Since I answered you're question it's only right you to answer mine." She bartered, not knowing what else to say.

"That seems like a fair trade." He granted as he wiped the sweat on his abdomen, slightly revealing his well-toned torso.

"H-how did you know I was there? You didn't stop to take a look, then again your eyes are always closed anyway, which makes me really want to know how you knew." The, now, pink Reiko averted her gaze from the tennis prodigy to the scattered tennis balls. She looked back toward his direction when she heard him start packing up, and found his face had cracked a mischievous smile. That was never a good sign.

"Would you miss a bear's HEAVY footsteps if it walked around a forest?" Reiko's face grew red, in a mix of anger and embarrassment as soon as she heard his emphasis on the word "heavy".

"Are you saying I'm fat?!" Fuji couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's insecurity, infuriating the "bear" some more as she abruptly stood in fury.

"Teme! Fu—" Reiko was about to condemn him once more before his chuckles abruptly came to a stop. She tilted her head and found her nemesis' face mere centimetres away from hers. His breath, that was still slightly heavy from the exercise, tickled her as he whispered to her ear, their proximity making her pulse race.

"No Hasegawa-san, you are most definitely not fat. And my eyes are most certainly not closed." He pulled away to greet the deeply flushed girl with his effervescently smiling face.

"Oh and Hasegawa-san..." He started, his gaze focusing on the tree she used as a hiding spot once again, while packing his items. "I hope you soon realize your potential and stop hiding. You seem to be good at that." He finished. And if his seemingly closed eyes further come to a close, Reiko would have sworn she saw him wink.

He was already a few metres away when Reiko's senses came knocking back. Hating the beleaguered feeling, she hurriedly packed her things to catch up to the brown-haired boy who was already on his way inside the boys' locker rooms.

"OI! What kind of answer was that?!" She asked, seeming appalled, only to be answered by a wider smile.

"Oh! You're playing one of your twisted mind tricks on me again aren't you?" her question sounding more like statement as she poked his chest for an answer.

"Saa... Feel free to interpret it anyway you like, Hasegawa-san." The brown-haired boy replied as he reached for the handle on the locker room door.

"Are you actually capable of giving decent answers?!" She asked, annoyed by the absurdity of his answers, or so she found them to absurd.

"Ne, Hasegawa-san. You don't intend on following me inside the locker rooms do you?" He cracked a triumphant smirk when he succeeded in silencing the raven-haired girl.

"Saa... I didn't think so. And don't forget to pack the balls up, Hasegawa-san." Fuji pointed to the heaping mass of tennis balls that scattered along the tennis courts before heading inside the boys' locker rooms to leave a, once again, seething Reiko with her mouth ready for another round of cursing.

"Teme!"

Fuji cracked a satisfied grin as soon as he entered the locker rooms. He had once again, succeeded in making his raven-haired companion's blood simmer up to boiling point, the first thing in the morning, if he may add. He contentedly imagined the bespectacled girl rattling her brain for answers as the lukewarm water pelted on his skin.

_Adorably rattle her brain for answers. _A voice inside his head corrected.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

The steaming baseball coach scolded his team for the nth time as he found the "slacking bunch" stop their drills to watch a raven-haired girl run past the field for the tenth time in 5 minutes.

_If I could only get people like her on the team, so hardworking and dedicated. _The starry-eyed coach looked on before snapping himself back to reality to punish his team with another set of 20 shuttle runs.

_Stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking. _"AH! WHY DID GOD HAVE TO GIVE ME A BRAIN THAT WON'T SHUT UP?!" Hasegawa Reiko's frustrated cry resonated throughout the entire school as she increased her running pace in attempt to block out any thought that came into mind.

_Maybe not..._ The bald baseball coach told himself as a large sweat drop trickled down the back of his head.

"DAMN YOU CLOWN-FACED NUMBNUT!" She bellowed once again before disappearing to a corner.

_Nope! Definitely not..._

* * *

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**Author's Note: (Don't forget to Review on your way out!)**

I feel like it was kinda lazy, but I tried to make this one as "colourful" as I can. So now you've read the fruit of my laziness, what do you think? Also, I might not update for a while, I'm still buried in homework despite finishing the maths ones, and I have yet to taste my coach's wrath for being (no surprise) lazy!

I love the "don't forget to Review on your way out" phrase, it's like after you eat in a restaurant to leave, and there's a barrel for tips that greets you before you head out the door... LOL! That's just me...

I'm really happy with the amount of feedback in the last chapter and the number of people reading. The numbers are significantly higher over the last... few days... (Lost count! V V HAPPY NONETHELESS )

**Many thanks to my readers/reviewers:**

**blacklightningwolf**

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep it in mind. I guess we'll see how the story goes, ne?

**:16: twi-chi:**

Hope you fix that log in problem with your account soon... I'm really glad you liked my story so far. I hope I didn't disappoint you with this one, or disappoint you with the future ones.

**seshata4434, Jess-blade**

Thanks! I really try hard to add comic relief in those parts of the story! You don't know how satisfied I feel when people respond to my fic that way!

**invisible-gurl**

I guess we'll see how the story turns out? Won't we? I agree... Fuji is truly evil! X)

**Otakugal**

Hope this chapter entertains you and answers your question as well... LOL...

**fujilovesme, demonsadist, dfisher, everyone...**

Thanks for all the positive review, so far... And for being consistent readers! I hope you enjoyed my newest instalment and I'll try harder to give you guys a better read!


	15. Fan Girls! Plus: Tennis Team's Hobby!

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys! First of all, I'd like to apologize for the reaaaaally long hiatus. Ever since I got into state team, I couldn't find time in between training, school and exams to update this fic! So again, I apologize!

The good news is, my mid-year exams are finally over (yay!) and we're not doing much in school now so I'll be updating more frequently. Don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but to me it's definitely on the plus side!

Secondly, I'd like to thank all those people who kept 'nagging' me. Seriously though, if it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't have gotten off my ass to get this fic going again. I know I said I won't be updating till the 30th of June, but what the heck?! I've already proof-read the 3 following chapters anyway! So to all you guys, many many many many thanks!

Third. I've noticed that a lot of people have asked or commented about what the PAIRING is on this fic. I'm actually glad that not a lot of people can discern what it is yet, that means this fic is still unpredictable... And that I can still make everyone go "Ahh..." (in realization)...

Uhmm... Lastly, I'd just like to warn you guys now; Brace yourselves, because from this point on, I'm about to turn this entire fic upside down! You've been warned!

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**Friday Morning... (15 minutes before the first period)**

"Nya! Finally its Friday!" Kikumaru exclaimed in delight as he mindlessly walked through the halls of Seishun Gakuen Middle School.

Out of all the days of the week, Friday was the bouncing redhead's favourite. Why? For the same reason most students love Friday, it signalled the end of yet another school week, the end of encounters with terrorist teachers, mountain piles of homework and most importantly, Fridays are when Colgate releases their newest toothpaste flavour! Okay, so maybe he was the only kid on earth who looked forward to Friday because of the last reason, never the less, he loved the day that had come, and he had already made it his personal mission to make everyone around him enjoy the day he loved. The RedBull-dosed teen mechanically made his way to the senior corridor and instantly spotted a familiar figure amongst the crowd.

"Hoi! It's Rei-chan! Just the person to start off with!" The perky redhead hurriedly headed to his raven-haired friend's direction, eager to "spread the love". She was currently in the process of getting her locker open and Kikumaru couldn't help but feel excited as he neared his friend's destination. It was the perfect opportunity to share the loooove.

"Ohayou Rei-cha—EEEEEEP!" The previously red, now white-haired lad instantly scampered 50 metres back at the sight that greeted him. His friend's usually pale face had become blue and hard, she wore a dark scowl, and an ominous aura was emanating from her being.

"Eiji, isn't it too early to be mopping the floor?" A teasing smirk was playing on Ayumi's lips as she greeted the trembling redhead. She had just come up the flight of stairs that led to the senior corridor and had "luckily" seen the whole event.

"Mou, she's still wearing those glasses? And what's with that face? Seriously, this early in the morning?" Chiharu piped, magically appearing from behind Ayumi.

"Stupid... clown faced... smiley... chicken-butt... jerk... pick up... back hurts... stupid tennis balls" Muttered the already at-whits-end-that-early-in-the-morning Hasegawa Reiko as she finally got her combination lock to open. Her brain kept flashing images of bright yellow tennis balls that earlier prevented her from recalling the combination on her lock.

"Smiley?" Ayumi wondered out loud. _Could it be? This early in the morning?!_

"Chicken... butt?" Chiharu thought dumbfounded. In her head was a mental picture of a person with a "chicken-butt" head, a wide clown grin plastered in position for the mouth.

"What the—?" The three then snapped out of their own worlds when they saw a bunch of letters fall on the ground. There weren't much, but Chiharu instantly realized what they were. While her friend was still in a slightly hazed state, Chiharu subtly picked up a red envelope from the ground and opened it. Her eyes glimmered in mischief as she read the contents of the letter.

"Ever since I saw your eyes, I had come to realize, I love you. WILL YOU MARRY ME HASEGAWA REIKO?" Upon reading the latter part of the letter, Chiharu and Ayumi looked at each other. Both looked as if they were about to burst any minute. The two slowly turned their heads toward the direction of the letter's addressee, and saw her jaw sagging down to the floor, her face had turned blue, as if she was about to hurl, and her body seemed to be stiff as a rock. The two bit their tongues as they looked at one another once more.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BWAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! Rei-chan has a... a... a... SECRET ADMIRER! BWAHAHAHAHA! HEHEHEHE!"

The trio looked to their left and saw the hyped up redhead mop the floor with laughter. He had been listening all the while. And they thought he was still in some corner shaking in fear.

"Who would've thought Rei-chan to be the type to have secret admirers... Hehe! Hihihihi!" Kikumaru tried to stifle his laughter as he stood up, clutching his stomach as he did.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" An outraged Reiko demanded while cracking her knuckles. Ayumi and Chiharu dashed to their friend and grabbed hold of her arms before they did something that would land their friend a death sentence.

"Hihi... You can't blame Eiji-kun for laughing though, the guy writes like... Shakespeare on crystal meth! No, worse! He writes like Eiji!" Chiharu chimed in.

"Hoi?! That was mean!" Kikumaru protested.

"Hmm? Isn't that Kanzaki's hand writing?" Ayumi held the letter up and brought it closer for a better look. Sure enough, it was indeed their freckle faced, metal mouthed, bushy browed classmate Kanzaki's hand writing.

"Kanzaki? Hahahaha! No wonder its so lame, nya!" The redhead bent down to pick up the rest of the letters. There weren't many, but he noticed that the hand writing on the letters seemed familiar.

"It makes sense since our classmates were the only ones who saw Reiko-chan when she was pretty..." Chiharu stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

Sniffs

"She's grown up so fast, learning to use her brain like that!" Ayumi declared in mock pride before snickering away.

"Che... How troublesome... It's all that smiley's fault..." Reiko grumbled while getting her pencil case out of her locker.

"Hoi?" Everyone was again silenced as Kikumaru reached inside the raven-haired girl's locker to fish out a small stuffed animal key chain, just slightly bigger than his palm.

"That's different..." Ayumi commented as she saw the item on the redhead's hand.

"Kawaii! A Panda!" Chiharu exclaimed while clapping her hands in delight.

"A... Panda?" Reiko got her head out of her locker to inspect the gift she'd received. Indeed, on Kikumaru's hand was a stuffed panda keychain.

"Are pandas your favourite?" Chiharu curiously inquired and looked up to find her raven-haired friend who could only nod in surprise.

"Yeah... But... How did he know?" Reiko asked confused. She didn't recall ever telling the class about her favourite animal during her introduction. _Maybe it's just a coincidence._

"There's a letter! Nya!" Kikumaru squealed excitedly as he removed the small card that was taped to the Panda's stomach.

"You could've mentioned that earlier." Ayumi said dryly, slightly annoyed by the redhead's lack of common sense.

"For suspense nya!" Kikumaru exclaimed happily while handing the small note to the bespectacled girl.

"...Like a Panda..." Reiko read the only words on the card. She felt her blood rush through her body as she mentally repeated the words over and over again.

"What does that mean?" Chiharu asked curiously, only to be answered by a shrug from Ayumi, and a dumbfounded look from Kikumaru.

"Hoi! There's also a bracelet! Nya!" Kikumaru handed the stuffed animal to its rightful owner and true enough, on its neck was a silver chain bracelet. The silver plate that was attached to the chain seemed to have something engraved on it.

"Anything else you'd like to tell us?" Ayumi asked while tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.

"Anou... They're releasing a new toothpaste flav—ahe... aheheh! Nope, that's all!" The nervous redhead loosened his collar after meeting Ayumi's intense glare.

"Tomodachi..." Reiko read once again. Her heart suddenly started to quicken its pace after reading the engraved word. _Could it be? No, I would have recognised him straight away!.. Right?_

"EH? Tomodachi?" Kikumaru repeated, confused.

"Ne, ne... I wonder who it's from." Chiharu asked out loud. That exact same question was playing on everyone's mind.

"Hihihi... Ii data..." Everyone turned blue except for Ayumi, who had hearts in her eyes, at the sound of the familiar deep voice that had interrupted their "private" conversation.

"NYA! INUI! Don't do that!" Kikumaru scolded the resident data-collector, who seemed to have a knack of popping out of nowhere.

"Perhaps I may be of help..." Inui's glasses shimmered surreptitiously .

"You are wondering who this stuffed panda had come from, am I right? I would not be able to accurately point out WHO the person is, but I may be able to narrow your 'list of suspects' down." 

Inui began. Before proceeding, he eyed the raven-haired girl who seemed to be waiting on his next words anxiously.

"But before I offer my services, I would like to ask you a question, Hasegawa-san." Inui deviously negotiated.

"What is it? There's always a catch isn't there?" Reiko answered dryly.

"It's for the sake of gathering data. You received a few letters from other admirers, yet you pay them no attention. What makes this panda different? Why would you like to know about its sender?" Inui quickly took out his trusty pen and "handy-dandy" notebook with 'Hasegawa Reiko Vol. 1' written on it.

"Because...This person may be the one who owes me a hell of an explanation." Came the raven-haired girl's honest reply. Inui scribbled madly on his notebook and Ayumi, Chiharu and Kikumaru looked at one another with dumbstruck faces.

"Very well then... I shall help you narrow your list down." Inui declared as he finished scribbling on his notebook. He put the pen on his breast pocket and secured the notebook on his school bag.

"After having analysed all the evidence, I have come with numerous hypotheses that led to one conclusion." Inui began. Everyone settled their attention on the bespectacled boy as he started to play "Gil Grissom".

"First of all, I would like you to remove any suspicion that the person we are looking for is from your class. We cannot assume this unless there is sufficient evidence to support it." Inui instructed, but he was quickly interrupted by Chiharu, who had her hand raised for a question.

"Haruto-san?" Inui acknowledged.

"Anou... I don't mean to say your data is wrong Inui-kun, but, our class were the only ones who saw Reiko, you know, the way she was yesterday. So I don't see how the person who gave Reiko-chan the panda could be someone out of our home group." Chiharu politely disagreed. She turned to her Inui-infatuated friend and turned pale when she saw her sending daggers at her.

_How dare you contradict Inui's data?!_ Ayumi fumed mentally.

"Ah... That is true, but we mustn't also assume that the person who gave Hasegawa-san the stuffed animal is one of her admirers. The bracelet, our first piece of evidence, has the word "Tomodachi" engraved on it. This implies that the person who has given the gift to Hasegawa is not romantically interested in her; rather, the person is more interested in being her friend. Hence, we cannot assume that the person is solely from your class, for he does not need to have seen Hasegawa-san yesterday to desire to become friends." Inui explained. Everyone then nodded their heads in understanding.

"Sugoi Inui! You are truly amazing!" Ayumi marvelled at Seigaku's resident data-man with starry eyes. She then looked at her hazel-eyed friend and flashed her a triumphant smirk. The latter could only slap her forehead.

_She's in fan-girl mode again..._

"Okay, but how does that help me cut the list down? It only broadened my options." Reiko asked feeling slightly annoyed. If Inui had a point, he had better make it soon or the bell will beat him to it.

"Ah... So we get to 2 crucial pieces of evidence." Inui paused and saw that everyone's attention was now focused on him. Inside, Inui was smiling from ear to ear for he knew his moment was about to come.

"The first crucial piece evidence, the card. All the letters given to you by your admirers were hand written, making it possible to distinguish them by their hand writing. The person who sent the panda, however, computerized his, making it nearly impossible for Hasegawa to identify him. This only means one thing."

"Okay? And that is?" Reiko asked impatiently, time was running out and Inui was enjoying playing "keep the audience at the edge of their seats."

"Well, if this person had computerized the card, it only means that he does not want to identify himself." Inui said with a proud smirk

"Why give me the panda then?" Now Reiko was truly confused.

"For the motive, I am uncertain. I am not saying the person is definitely among your classmates, but the probability is highly likely. What I am sure of though, is that you have definitely come across this person before, because he knows that if he had written the card by hand, you would be able to recognize his handwriting. So I take it he does not want to be identified."

"Inui! You're so cool!" Ayumi commended while clapping her hands

"But you said you'll help me narrow the list down, all you've done is to widen my options, and tell me that this guy doesn't want me to know who he is!" Reiko was now starting to feel frustrated at how things were turning out. _I just want to know WHY._

"Ahh... I said that there were two crucial evidences, I have only gone through the first one."

"Inui... I would hurry up if I were you. The bell is about to ring and I can certainly tell you, I'm the last person you'd want to leave hanging." Despite the height difference, the raven-haired girl did not fail to intimidate the towering lad.

"Ahehehe... Of course... The last piece of evidence; getting the stuffed animal in your locker."

"Getting it in, nya?" Kikumaru repeated confused.

"Yes Eiji, getting the gift in. Hasegawa-san uses a combination lock. Other than the slits on her locker door, there is no other way of putting items inside her locker, unless you open the lock and put it inside. Judging by the size of that Panda, there is no way the suspect had used the slits to get the item inside. Which means..."

"He was able to open my combination lock and place the panda in!" Reiko exclaimed. She was partly confused, and yet she couldn't help but feel excited about this new information. She now understood what Inui meant by "narrowing the list down".

"Precisely. Also, since the panda was found just this morning, it is reasonable to assume that the person is not only extremely intelligent, but he also comes or came to school early. The inside of the school is equipped with motion-sensitive detectors that when turned on, sounds the alarm at the slightest of movements. The "perpetrator" couldn't have performed the stunt at night, for the school guard turns the alarm on once the building had been cleared of people.

"Someone extremely smart eh? That means Eiji's out!" Chiharu teased.

"That's right! Nyaaaa! Ne Chiharu-chan! That was so mean..." Kikumaru resented.

"I wonder..." Everyone turned to the raven-haired girl and found her deep in thought. _Someone smart? Came to school today early?... Hmmm... _Reiko thought hard as she tried to recall all the faces she saw that morning. _Damn it! That Fuji...! Making me pick up all the damned tennis balls! I can't remember anyone! _Frustrated, the bespectacled girl gave up the idea of remembering all the faces she came across that morning and tried to think of a different approach.

"Ahem... There aren't many candidates, I have actually formulated a list in my head. The only problem lies in finding the right one. You might be surprised, but one of the candidates is—

"KYAAAAAAA! FUJI-SAMA! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

The 5 snapped their heads to the direction of the commotion and saw the familiar figure of their resident tensai being ambushed by his crazed fan girls.

"It seems the Fuji brigade has found out about Fuji's head injury..." Inui confirmed while readjusting his glasses. He couldn't help but feel pity for his helpless team mate.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! MWAHEHEHEHEHE!" The four then turned to the direction of the maniacal laughter and found it coming from their raven-haired friend, who had her hand clutching her stomach and her other hand pointing to the direction of the "tensai in distress".

"Ii data!" The harmonious cackling of the two spectacled youth filled the air, leaving their three other friends in a dumbstruck state.

_Geez... How random can they get?_ The three sighed mushroom breaths in chorus.

RRRIIIIIING

* * *

**Friday Lunchtime...**

POP!

That was the 56th vein that popped on a steaming Hasegawa Reiko's forehead since the first 5 minutes of lunch. This was definitely not one of her best days in life, for the moment her brown-haired nemesis set foot on school grounds with the bleeding obvious gauze pad on his forehead, "peace" had become an extinct word. His fan girls from all over the school have constantly been barging in and out of the 3-6 classroom whenever they could to try and "tend" to their injured 'Fuji-sama'. At first, Reiko burst into fits of hysteria at the sight of her nemesis being ambushed by hormone-infested females, but there was a limit to one's tolerance of shrill, squeaky, ear-piercing voices. And Reiko's ran out two periods ago.

"Why did we decide to eat in the classroom anyway?! I'm starting to get a migraine from all the squealing!" Ayumi said irately, her eyes trailing to Reiko, who had stopped pealing her apple midway, face red in fury.

"Huh? Could you repeat that? There's this constant ringing sound in my ears and so I couldn't hear you properly." Chiharu excused while tugging on an ear lobe.

"Nya! We have to save Fujiko from those crazed girls! And we have to do it quickly, Rei-chan looks like she's about to skin them alive!" Kikumaru exclaimed as he looked at his helpless looking friend with concern. And then the most peculiar, out of this world thing happened. The usually "un-clever" redhead had a light bulb moment. He hurriedly got his phone out of his pocket and punched on the keypad at the rate of 120 words per second.

"Hoi! All we can do now is to wait. Hopefully Rei-chan can hold her temper. Nya!" Kikumaru finished while placing his phone back in his pocket.

"Kyaaa! Fuji-kun! Does it still hurt? Would you like some aspirin?!" Another squealing fan girl enquired as she fussed about the injured tensai who was currently trapped by his mob of rabid fan-girls.

"Aspirin?! Here! I have some!" A short, pimply fan girl piped as she stepped out from the hoard of girls with a bottle of aspirin.

"No! He wants mine!" Another exclaimed while popping out a tablet from her own aspirin bottle.

"Why would he want to take aspirin from any of you, when clearly Fuji-kun wants mine?!" A man-ish looking girl with a 98 decibel voice range piped while approaching the now alarmed Fuji, purposely bumping the two fan girls and making them drop the pills in the process.

"You...bitch, no, bastard! Fuji needs aspirin! Not testosterone!" The pimply-faced one snapped as she got ready to jump the "man-girl"

"What did u say Pus-face?! Want me to pop all those? Wait till I get my goggles on!" The man-girl retorted with a smirk. And with a pulling of hair and scratching of face, "war of the freakish fan girls" commenced.

SCREEEEECH!

Silence enveloped the classroom as they turned to the direction of the sound and found it came from a cackling Hasegawa Reiko. Her aura was dark and ominous and there was a dangerous gleam on her glasses.

"He... Hehehehe... Heheh... HEHEHEHEHEHEHE! I... want... blood! I'll skin you all alive!!" Reiko exclaimed as she charged at the horror-struck fan-girls , her arm violently swinging the fruit peeler at hand.

"Kyaaaaaa!" The fan-girls squealed in horror as they set in a mad dash around the room in a desperate attempt to save themselves. Everyone stopped running when they saw the mad girl stop in front of the resident tensai's seat.

"You! This is all your fault!" Reiko fumed as he took Fuji by the collar and got her right arm into "skinning" position.

"She's finally snapped!" Chiharu exclaimed in horror.

"Ne Hasegawa-san, let's be rational... That's a fruit peeler..." came the tensai's attempt to coax the now idiosyncratic Reiko. Just then, the sound of a sliding door being opened pulled everyone's attention.

"What is everybody doing? Disperse!" Everyone froze at the sound of the familiar authoritative voice that was unusually coated in anger and found non-other than Seigaku's stoic tennis captain, a stern look was on his face and his worry-wart vice captain followed him in tow. It didn't take a second for everyone to disappear, save for Ayumi, Chiharu, Kikumaru and the demented Reiko who still had Fuji by the collar with one hand, the fruit peeler still on the other.

"Hasegawa." The stoic captain called out.

"Huh?" The bespectacled girl snapped out at the voice that seemed to have "exorcised" the psychopathic feeling that "possessed" her just a few moments ago.

"Whew... That was close!" Chiharu sighed in relief when her friend had finally snapped back to reality. "I thought she was really going to skin him alive!"

"What the—?" Upon realization, Reiko immediately let go of Fuji's collar, causing him to fall down on his seat. Turning around, she saw a gaping Oishi, a relieved Ayumi and Chiharu, a beaming Kikumaru, who then flashed the "V" sign at her, and the usually stoic face of the one and only Tezuka. A cold gust of wind waft by as she slowly felt humiliation seep into her system.

"Nya! Tezuka saves the day!" the hyper-active redhead exclaimed as he bounced up and down, grabbing the seemingly frozen Reiko's hands and flailing them in the air in delight.

"Arigatou Tezuka. If not for you, I'd have been skinned with a fruit peeler." Fuji acknowledged while flashing a teasing smirk on the mortified Reiko.

"Ah" The stoic captain eyed the girl a last time before turning to Fuji.

"Yudan Sezu ni Ikou." And with that, the ever passive tennis captain took his leave.

"Hai hai." Fuji answered casually. He slowly turned to the direction of a certain raven-haired girl who seemed frozen while her feet remained rooted to the ground.

_Shattered..._ The Kikumaru, Chiharu and Ayumi thought.

The 4 went to their respective seats and the room was silent until...

"I may as well end it all right now..." Everyone turned to the sound of the voice and found the bespectacled girl put chopsticks in her nose and got ready to push it up.

"Saa... This will be interesting." Fuji quickly fished his mobile phone out of his pocket and went into video mode.

"Action." The brown-haired boy commanded with a hand under his chin and the other holding the phone in shooting position.

"CUT NYA!" Kikumaru exclaimed as he hurried to Reiko with the two girls in tow.

"Reiko! Calm down... It's not the end of the world. It's not like Tezuka-san will start avoiding you because you acted beyond like a psycho fruit peeler killer in front of him!" came Chiharu's "intelligent" attempt to cajole her "suicidal" friend.

"Oh will you shut up!" Ayumi hissed while slapping her "not so sharp-witted" friend's head. The duo grabbed hold of Reiko's arms while the redhead took the chopsticks out.

"Whew... THAT was close." Chiharu sighed while letting go of her friend. The room had fallen silent yet again.

"Soooo..." Chiharu started in attempt to break the silence.

"Who's up for Poker, Nya?! We'll trade the chips for bentos!" Kikumaru piped, a deck of cards and a box of poker chips in hand.

"GAME!" Reiko enthused, as if nothing had happened. Everyone stared at the raven-haired girl, all wondering if she could be anymore random.

"Isn't this against school rules?" Chiharu asked.

"Saa... No one has to know..." came the tensai's casual reply as he subtly looked at his cards.

* * *

**A few minutes till the end of History...**

"That's all for today class." The heavily bearded history sensei concluded while packing up his items on the teacher's desk.

"Before I forget, there will be a test next Monday..." The teacher felt his eye twitch when he found no one paying attention to his announcement.

"Ahem... Please be aware, that this test will be about the whole unit and serve as your semester assessment for this subject AND 30 percent of your overall history grade will be taken from this test." The sensei cracked a sadistic smile when he saw wide-eyed, gaping students staring at him in shock.

"Yes, you heard right. Also, the grading system for this test will be a little different, since the school has decided to adapt the CLP system. Each individual exam paper will be graded separately, but only the average of each pair's mark will be taken as the final test grade for both students. However, if an individual fails this test, that is, attaining a score below 60 percent, his or her partner will automatically fail as well."

Everyone's eyes bulged out of their sockets after hearing the rest of the information. Their history teacher had gone beyond sadistic. It was as if he purposely set the test on Monday to ruin whatever each student has planned for the weekend. No longer was it a weekend of carefree bliss, their history teacher had managed to make it the few days they had before "Armageddon".

"Well... Good luck. I hope you study hard this weekend." And at the sound of the final school bell, the shaggy history teacher left the class full of stupefied students, who were too shocked to move even when the dismissal bell had been rung.

Ayumi, Chiharu and Kikumaru slowly turned their heads to the back of the room. Cold sweat trickled down their spine when they saw their resident tensai who seemed to be in deep thought, while their raven-haired friend stared blankly out the window.

"At least WE'D be able to STUDY over the weekend. Those two would probably end up killing one another trying..." Murmured Ayumi, her eyes never leaving the pair.

"Nya! That's true. At least Sendo and I aren't bad at in terms of History, the weekend would be enough time for us to revise and pass the test! But those two..." Kikumaru trailed off.

"Oh yeah, but isn't Fuji-kun the top history student in class? Shouldn't he be able to pull Reiko-chan's grade up then?" Chiharu asked, trying to view their friends' situation optimistically.

"Yeah... But did you forget? Reiko's the worst history student in our class!" Ayumi added.

"Well... How bad IS bad?" The hazel-eyed girl asked, not really sure if she wanted to hear the answer or not.

"Around, 20 percent bad. That's a maximum." Ayumi replied. The trio shook their heads before leaving the room for the tennis grounds. They already knew what the future had in store for the two, TOTAL DOOM, and they weren't about to drag themselves in it.

_We'll pray for you guys! Only God can save you both! _The three thought in synch.

"Saa... Hasegawa-san, how shall we go about this... dilemma?" Fuji inquired while standing up to pack his items.

"I guess I'll have to study then." Reiko replied before packing up and leaving, never sparing her nemesis a look.

_Still being stubborn... _Fuji thought with a smirk as he watched his partner's retreating figure.

_STUDY HISTORY?! _Reiko, in chibi form, thought in tears as she headed to the gates.

* * *

**At the Gates...**

Upon arriving at her destination, Reiko quickly spotted a familiar figure waiting for her by the exit.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Tezuka-san."

"I just got here." The stoic boy replied before heading out the exit.

Unbeknownst to the two were a pair of eyes that stealthily observed them from behind a bush.

"Oi oi Mamushi... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Fsssshhh... Why would I think the same as you?"

The spiky-haired lad fell down on the floor at the reply.

"There's no time to argue! Go get the others while I follow them. I'll keep you posted."

"Fsssshhh... Why should I listen to an idiot?" Kaidoh tried to argue but it was too late. Momoshiro had already left the building.

* * *

**Tennis Courts**

"Hasegawa-san and Tezuka?!" Kawamura was wide-eyed from the new piece of information.

"Ussssu." Kaidoh replied nonchalantly.

"Hoi! See I told you! I saw them last Friday, nya!" Kikumaru beamed.

"Mou, minna... Let's be reasonable. I'm sure Tezuka will not appreciate us spying on them on their date." Oishi tried to argue and subdue the hype that Kaidoh had created _(although the readers already know that when the regulars' interests have been piqued, there's no stopping them from wreaking havoc!)_

"DATE?!" Everyone burst in shock.

"Anou... I didn't mean that... I mean, I don't know, but we mustn't spy..." The fukubuchou stammered.

"We won't be spying. It's our duty as their team mates to ensure their wellbeing." Fuji reasoned while everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! Like the time we followed you on your date with your cousin!" came the redhead's attempt to "convince" their vice captain.

"You what?!" The usually push-over vice captain exclaimed in shock.

"Oishi dated his whaaaaat?!" The usually cheerful Chiharu was instantly shattered.

"You know! When we thought you were on a date with someone and it turned out you were taking your cousin to see her boyfriend in secret. Then you—!" 5 pairs of hands covered the redhead's big mouth before it divulged anything else.

"Whew!" a mushroom sigh escaped Chiharu's mouth while wiping the sweat on her forehead.

_Hopeless. _Ayumi thought wryly.

"How did you know that?!" Oishi asked apprehensively.

"Nya! Uhmm.. you uh...told me! You know... yeah!" Kikumaru excused while secretly handing Kawamura a tennis racquet.

"BURRRRNIIIING! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! YOU BUNCH SISSIES!" The boy with the thick sideburns shouted as he dashed to the school exit. Kikumaru, Inui, Fuji, Ayumi and Chiharu following in tow.

"Data..." Inui cackled as he followed the "burning" boy.

_Reiko and Tezuka? No way! I have to see this myself! _Ayumi thought in disbelief.

"Maybe we should—" When Oishi looked up, all that was left of his team mates was the resident super rookie who eyed him with a teasing smirk.

"Mada mada dane, Oishi-senpai." Echizen taunted before heading off to where the others went.

"Mou!. _Here comes another misadventure."_ Oishi shook his head as he caught up with the rest of his team mates.

_Interesting. _Fuji thought, as he walked while pondering on the numerous thoughts that raced through his head. One of which was to try and explain why he felt a slight pang deep inside his being.

_Hoi! Maybe I can stop by a convenience store to get the newest toothpaste flavour while we're at it! _Kikumaru let his mind wander as he followed his team mates excitedly.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Yeah, this is sort of like my "bridging chapter", since I'm about to turn the story topsy turvy! LOL! You've been warned!

Also, My shout outs to:

**Heart- **thanks for reviewing and telling me to update. I hope your happy now that I have.

**akayuki-rin- **Thanks, I will keep updating from now. I know about ADHD. ADD and ADHD actually refer to the same disease, only they changed ADD to ADHD recently due to scientific advances in the trials made. I used ADD because I thought most people would be familiar with it, but your right, and ADHD suits Taka-san on burning mode better anyway.

**immortalxdreams- **Sorry I wasn't able to update "soon"... But thanks for all the support! I hope you haven't given up on this fic (and me) yet!

**unknown player- **Apologies for confusing you in the last chap! It's meant to do that..? Hopefully not too much... I just want my readers to go "AHHH" when everything is out of the closet!

**fujilovesme- **Thanks for being a constant supporter! I hope you stick stick with me till the end, especially since things are about to become colourful!

**syNemYoa- **Ahh... A new reader! Thanks for the reviews. I'm really glad you liked this fic, and that it made you laugh. I'll try to keep that up!

**RaiPhoenix015- **Thank you soooo much! Lol! That review made my day (at that time...)! AHAHA! Hope you like this new chafter.

**Invisible-gurl**- Yeah... I personally don't think it does either... hahaha!

To the many many people who the previous chap: **xoxmeixox, kureiio azami, BloodyKunoichi, :16: twi-chi, Meerakari, Otakugal, dfisher25, Jess-Blade, seshata4434, demonsadist**, THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I hope all of you are still reading this fic. I know it's been dead for a while, but I promise the updates will be more frequent now! Really sorry about that long hiatus! Again, thanks soooo much!


	16. Ulterior Motives

**UPDATED and CORRECTED (30/06/08)  
**

To** akayuki-rin**: Thanks sooooo much for pointing that out. The perfectionist in me just had to go through the entire fic to see how much I've abused romaji. Anyway I fixed up whatever I could find. Hontou ni arigatou!

**Author's Notes:**

This is a really long chapter, longest I've written. I was thinking of splitting it into two parts since the next chapter will continue directly from this one, but I couldn't be bothered anymore since I'm sooooo sleepy and sooo lazy. Sit tight!

Also, I'd like to make a shout out to **singer in the wind**. YES! I Would love for you to be my BETA, but I don't think my PM is getting through to people. I've also added you to the connections thing, I'm not sure if you've received my request. I'm having a problem receiving PMs atm as well, so please e-mail me at the link on my homepage. It's my sisters but she lets me check it! THANK YOU THANK YOU HEAPS!

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Streets of Tokyo...**

"Ha?"

With a blank look on his face, Momoshiro found himself dumbfounded outside the city's Tokyo Sports and Aquatic Centre. He knew that his captain and his raven-haired senpai were both sports-oriented people, but seriously, dating at a sports centre? In his mind, the spiky-haired junior "tsked" disapprovingly at his stoic captain's "novice dating skills".

"Mada mada dane..."

Momoshiro snapped out of his reverie upon hearing the familiar deep, monotonous voice of their one and only, rather cocky super rookie Echizen Ryoma. He couldn't agree more. Indeed his captain needed more than just guidance. When it came to areas such as dating, he needed Divine Providence. The junior then realized that along with the freshman were the rest of his team mates and the Varsity excluding their towering captain Kaita-san. In his mind, Momoshiro was relieved the gentle giant was amiss. Stalking—"ensuring his captain and senpai's safety in secret" would've been much harder if they were with someone who would most likely stand out, even in hiding. Not that they did a better job.

"Mou, minna... Maybe it would be better if we head back to school. We wouldn't want to anger Ryuzaki-sensei when she finds us missing, especially since our game with Hyotei Gakuen is right around the corner." For the hundredth time, the worry-wart vice captain tried to convince but to no avail.

"No sweat. Kaita-san is there to cover for us." Ayumi intervened, thwarting Oishi's attempts to knock some sense into the mischievous bunch.

"Demo..." The mother-hen of the group struggled to search for another excuse.

Flashing the distressing boy a stone-cold look, "There are more important matters!", Everyone (even the Oishi-obsessed Chiharu) stealthily followed their charges inside the dome-like leisure centre.

_I must work on my 'fukubuchou aura' more. _Shoulders slumping in resignation, the pushed-over boy followed his team inside.

* * *

**Inside TSAC...**

Even off the courts, Fuji proved to live up to the alias 'genius'. He had suggested for everyone to split up so that their presence would be harder to expose. Usually he would rather join his friends in their attempts to squeeze into one hiding place whilst indulging in their stalking—'data gathering' routine, knowing that they would instantly get caught. He frequently joined in the trouble for he enjoyed seeing his team mates get caught and suffer in their struggle to find their way out of a pinch. Today was an exception, for his conscience kept bombarding him with curious questions, and a curious tensai would determinedly find his answers.

Inside they found that their charges have disappeared to go into separate changing rooms. They quickly took this opportunity as a chance to 'disperse' and blend into the crowd. Echizen and Momo positioned themselves behind a large fern plant, Kaidoh, Inui and Kawamura settled down on a long lounge chair at the foyer, disguising themselves with broadsheet newspapers. Ayumi and Chiharu, in their training outfits, blended perfectly with a crowd of volleyball girls that lined up in the reception. With his great charm and hypnosis—err... power of persuasion, Fuji had managed to convince the receptionist to allow him and Oishi to hide under the counter. All but the 'not-so-quick-witted' redhead was left standing in the middle of the foyer like a lost child.

"Nya!"

The redhead found himself being pulled by their resident genius under the reception counter.

_Hoi? Fujiko seems enthusiastic..._

The hyper-active boy's thoughts were interrupted when the familiar figure of one of their charges appeared in the middle of the foyer. His mouth was wide agape, eyes twinkled in delight and his palms were clasped together like a proud mother. His friend had changed into a matching peach collared shirt and skorts, that emphasized her rosy cheeks and light complexion, something that the horrible girl's uniform had turned pale. Her hair was tied up in a high pony tail, but a few loose strands from her fringe manage to escape the binding hair tie accentuating her soft facial features. _(A/N: No points in guessing which friend came out of the changing rooms first) _Kikumaru was so dazzled that he couldn't help but...

"Nya! Rei—" The redhead had his arms outstretched to give the unsuspecting girl his infamous "hug of death" when 2 pairs of arms grabbed him, a hand muffling his mouth. Turning, he found his doubles partner and Fuji had taken the liberty of restraining him and hence managed to save the team from being given 50 laps around the whole of Tokyo, for now.

Not long after, Tezuka had come out with a red collared sports shirt and black shorts on. His usual green armband positioned high above his left forearm, just under the elbow. Their captain and Reiko exchanged a few words that could not be deciphered from the tensai's hiding place. Meanwhile, Kaidoh's strong grip managed to restrain Inui's hands from grabbing his notebook and pen. Presence of mind had managed to restrain the data-man from cackling insanely. They waited until their charges were a safe distance away before gathering once again.

"Ii data..." As soon as they were out of eye or earshot, Inui quickly grabbed his precious notebook and oh-so trusty pen and scribbled like no tomorrow.

"I guess that can't be helped, it's Inui after all." Oishi shrugged while the rest, save for Ayumi, whisked their heads in disapproval. Inui, who was "in the zone", couldn't care less of course.

The troublesome bunch resumed to their activity and covertly followed their targets further inside the stadium. They quickly came to a stop when they found the two have entered a glass-concrete enclosed tennis court. Everyone wondered what the two were doing in a tennis court but they were determined to tail them nonetheless.

Hand under his chin, brows slightly furrowed, Fuji was deep in thought. _This may be a problem._

The transparent glass that surrounded the tennis courts was a hindrance to hiding. All the tennis courts were designed in a similar fashion, 2 glass walls adjacent to each other, one wall having the entrance/exit and 2 adjacent, concrete white walls on the sides. The tennis court was positioned so that the ends were facing the concrete walls, while the sides of the court faced the glass walls. 4-level bleachers were on each end of the court, a bench was positioned near the glass wall opposite to the entrance. Moving any further would risk being spotted since it would be walking beside a transparent glass wall. The hallway was narrow and there weren't many things one can use as a hiding place. There was one concrete pillar but not all would be able to fit and observe. The only way everyone would be able to watch was by getting to the end of the glass wall and to hide behind the other concrete pillar. _(A/N: I can't really describe properly but it's kind of like this: concreteIGLASSIconcrete)_. And that would require walking beside the glass wall for a few metres.

Then, as if it was God's will for them to be able to push further with their activity, their two targets momentarily turned their backs on the exit to place their things on the bleachers. Being the only opportunity to get to the other pillar, Fuji took the risk of being caught by quickly running to the other end, Inui, Kikumaru, Kaidoh and Ayumi following suit. The latter 4 sighed in respite after realizing they'd gone unseen. After positioning themselves, sitting, kneeling and standing by height, heads atop each other, they found relief in learning that since the inside of each court was bare, save for a the bleachers and bench, and that the glass walls were thin, the sounds that echoed loudly from the inside could easily be heard from the outside.

"Are? What are Tezuka and Reiko doing in a tennis court? Aren't they supposed to on a date?" A puzzled Kawamura asked no one in particular as he blankly pointed at the two lone figures inside the tennis courts.

"Hmm... Tennis date?" Chiharu suggested.

"It's quite possible." Oishi Added.

Everyone stopped their hushed conversation when they saw their two charges sit down on the ground and extend their legs forward. Both their bespectacled targets then stretched out their right arm and reached to touch their left toe. They did this for roughly 20 seconds before doing the same with the other arm and foot.

"Hoi? Stretching, nya! No one can be as flexible as me!" Kikumaru beamed. Everyone flashed the rather loud redhead a disapproving look in their attempt to shush him. The redhead squeaked and quickly ran to a corner in tears, pretending to be offended, not that anyone cared.

Turning back to the figures in the court, everyone then found that both had stood up from their previous positions. Tezuka seemed to be looking for something in his bag while Reiko was stretching her arms while waiting. A few seconds later, their stoic captain had fished out a blue skipping rope and handed it to the raven-haired girl. The latter went away to safe distance to start skipping while Tezuka automatically set his stopwatch as soon as the girl started skipping. After having set his watch, he proceeded to the bench near the glass wall and took the box of tennis balls that sat under it.

Checking his watch while carrying the box of balls with his other hand, Tezuka ordered the girl to change her routine.

"Doubles." The stoic boy said in monotone.

Reiko simply nodded and proceeded to doing double jumps on the skipping rope with ease. The observers marvelled at how light she landed on the ground, not a sound could be heard every time her feet landed on the floor.

"It would've sounded like a stampede if Momo-senpai was the one doing it." Echizen smirked, only to be awarded by a smack on the head by his spiky haired senior.

"Fssssh.." Kaidoh nodded in agreement only angering Momoshiro even more. The latter was about to bite back when Fuji interrupted their little squabble to remind them of their "mission".

"Saa... Maybe now is not the right time for that. We wouldn't want to get caught." Fuji reminded. Although his facial expression didn't change, his aura seemed threatening and dangerous. This alone pushed Kaidoh, Momoshiro and Echizen to be on their best behaviour.

"Triples." They heard their captain's monotonous voice say from the inside. Reiko simply nodded her head and followed the instruction. Everyone's jaw dropped to the floor at the sight of the raven-haired girl triple-flying on one spot. Not only could she triple-fly with ease, not a sound could be heard as she landed on her feet even though she was jumping higher. Also impressive was the fact that she had been speed skipping for two minutes, double skipping for another 2 minutes and yet she could still easily manage to triple fly. Any normal person would've had arms and wrist muscles burning after the second stage.

"Sugoi. What great wrist strength." Chiharu marvelled.

"She's also very agile. No sound whenever she lands." Ayumi pointed out. She quickly stole a glance at the resident data man, whose head was above hers and found him scribbling intently. She looked back at the court and found Reiko had finished warming up and had been instructed to grab a racket from her bag.

Tezuka motioned the raven haired girl to come closer and then proceeded to making a box with black tape on the concrete white wall, much similar to what he did during their previous one-on-one session.

"Stroke practice." He declared again in monotone.

"Stroke... practice?" Reiko repeated with uncertainty. She let out a nervous chuckle as she waited for her personal coach to reply.

"Ah..." Tezuka nodded. "Try to always hit the ball in the area inside the box." Tezuka commanded while tossing a tennis ball to the bespectacled girl.

"I know that... Demo... From the previous session... are you sure it's a good idea?" Reiko replied while keeping her head low. Images of a tennis ball zooming past Tezuka's face and barely missing it kept replaying over her head as she remembered the previous session where she attempted the same drill.

Tezuka merely nodded his head. "Your control has improved quite significantly since then. I believe this drill is suitable for a player at your level." Tezuka assured although his face remained as placid as ever.

"If you say so..." Reiko breathed in and got ready to hit an underhand shot aimed to go to the middle of the box but before she could start...

"Wait." Tezuka stopped. Reiko questioningly turned her head to her "personal instructor", mind wondering why the abrupt interruption. She felt a huge sweat drop form at the back of her head when she found him backing away a few metres, as if moving away to a safety zone. She found him stop after backing away with a good 5 metre distance.

"Ok." He signalled. Reiko regained her composure and got ready to start her drill once again. Her underhand serve went neatly in the box, as did her next 3 shots. Her returns then started deviating from the box from then.

"Your wrist is starting to tense. Slightly loosen your grip and remember to follow through. Keep your mind focused on the box." Tezuka instructed while demonstrating. The tennis ball easily went in the box, hitting the same spot every time. He stopped after a few more hits and let Reiko continue with the exercise. The routine continued, with the stoic lad throwing in tips here and there and occasionally stopping to demonstrate every once in a while as Reiko did the exercise.

"Nya! What kind of date is this?!" Kikumaru exclaimed appalled. Everyone had their index fingers on their lips while shushing the redhead for the umpteenth time. Kikumaru motioned that he would keep quiet but his face demanded an answer.

"Mada mada dane, Eji-senpai." Echizen smirked at his now dumbfounded senior. Ayumi was rubbing her temples as if in attempt to alleviate stress and everyone had disbelieving looks on their faces.

"Have you seriously not figured it out yet, Eiji?" Chiharu asked amazed. Kikumaru could only stare blankly.

"Eiji, they're not on a date." Oishi finally declared. Kikumaru now seemed more puzzled.

"They're not?" The redhead repeated unsure.

"This is not a date." Inui piped. " This is a training session." The data-man finished, his hand still scribbling and his eyes never leaving the two figures on the court.

"Training session, nya?"

Kikumaru suddenly felt a light bulb turn on as he pieced the puzzle together. Suddenly everything made sense.

"Mou, Eiji-senpai, how can you not know?" Momoshiro looked on in disbelief.

"Fsssssh..." Kaidoh had a disapproving look while nodding in agreement.

"Hasegawa-san is privately being coached by Tezuka. The question is why?" Oishi added. Everyone was deep in thought upon hearing the vice captain's latter statement.

"And here I thought they were out on a date." Chiharu muttered disappointed.

"Nya? Training?! How boring!" Kikumaru exclaimed dissatisfied. It seems he had been excited for no reason. The redhead was just about ready to leave when—

"Look. Buchou stopped Hasegawa-senpai." Everyone turned their heads to Echizen's direction and found him pointing inside the tennis court. Soon they found Reiko had indeed momentarily been stopped from her stroke practice by her impassive instructor.

Hand still under his chin, "Saa... It appears Hasegawa-san is having trouble concentrating" Fuji commented.

They watched Tezuka jog up to his bag. The onlookers squinted their eyes in an attempt to distinguish what their captain had fished out, it seemed like a piece of paper but they couldn't make sure. Jogging back with tape in one hand, the stoic boy held out his other hand to show the piece of paper to the raven-haired girl. Everyone became more curious when they saw the latter's jaw fall and then later turned red after recomposing herself.

"What was in that paper?" Kawamura asked yet again. Everyone shrugged and looked on. Whatever it was, they were about to find out since Tezuka was now in the process of taping the paper in the middle of the box. Almost everyone turned blue, except for the brown-haired Tensai and the resident data-freak, who seemed to have become more interested after learning of the contents, or rather learning what the paper was.

"Oi..." Momoshiro started eyes twitching in disbelief.

"That's..." Kawamura continued.

"Fuji-senpai's photo." Echizen hid a mischievous smirk under his cap. Rather than being amazed by his captain's whit, he was amused at his resourcefulness. So it proves that THE Tezuka Kunimitsu is never unprepared. But there was still one question left unanswered...

_Where did he get that photo?! _Reiko pondered. She was really caught off-guard after unexpectedly being shown her arch nemesis' photo. _Don't tell me..._ Reiko shut her eyes tightly and vigorously whisked her head side to side as she prayed to God not to let her suspicion be true.

"Ii data..." Inui cackled maniacally once again, His notebook was now smoking from the insane velocity of his writing. Now he, and all of his team mates, were wondering why and how their impassive, stoic, highly respected captain, got a hold of their resident genius' photo.

_Tezuka's Flashback_

_After his meeting with Ryuzaki-sensei ended, Tezuka hurriedly paced to his classroom hoping he would not be late for Maths class. He did not anticipate his meeting with his coach to extend and his next teacher Sato-sensei, was one who didn't tolerate tardiness. He was infamous for his quick-temper, and although he'd never experienced it, he would definitely not want to have to face the wrath of Sato-sensei's anger when his short fuse blows._

_While in his thoughts, he did not notice the small figure that was about to crash into him._

_OOOF!_

_Papers and books flew high in the air as their owner collided into the brick wall that was Tezuka Kunimitsu._

"_Are you okay?" Tezuka helped the girl he'd bumped into pick up the pieces of paper as he inquired of her physical state._

"_Gomen ne, Tezuka-sama. I mean! Tezuka-san!" The girl squeaked._

"_I apologize. Are you sure you are fine?" Holding his hand out to help the girl up, Tezuka apologised for his absent mindedness and asked again._

"_H-h-hai!" Head down low, the girl abruptly took her items from THE Tezuka Kunimitsu's hands and ran off._

_Not sure what had happened, Tezuka decided to shrug off the girl's unusual behaviour. Just as he was about to walk off, a piece of paper on the ground caught his attention. "She must have dropped this." He thought while picking it up, then realizing it was a bit stiffer than ordinary paper._

_A large bead of sweat ran down the back of his head after inspecting the paper and realizing what it was. He placed it on his breast pocket and readjusted his glasses before starting to walk back to his classroom once again._

_It may be better to return this to its rightful owner._

_End of Flashback._

Eyes blazing, Reiko resumed her stroke practice and to everyone's surprise, started hitting everything to one spot. Although it was expected, Tezuka still felt a large bead of sweat trickle down the back of his head.

"Ooorya! Take that you clown-face idiot! Oooorya!" Reiko shouted in 'Taka-san' mode as she hit each shot with burning hatred. It didn't take long for a hole to be bored on the photo.

"How scary..." Momoshiro cowered.

"Fsssh..." Kaidoh nodded in agreement.

"I'd hate to be you, senpai." Echizen smirked under his cap. Fuji only looked on with more interest.

"Hehehehe... Data..." Inui muttered again.

"Eeep! Rei-chan's a monster!" Kikumaru squeaked as the others nodded in agreement.

Finishing their training session with a light hit up, Tezuka instructed Reiko to cool down while he picked up the balls and packed them. Reiko obediently nodded her head and went to a corner to start stretching. Their observers took the opportunity to take their leave before they were caught stalking and be sentenced to an infinite amount of laps by their captain.

* * *

**Outside TSAC...**

The Regulars and Varsity gathered outside the stadium before each taking their leave.

"Nya! What a waste of time!" Kikumaru whined after their "recreational activity" had come to an end. Kaidoh nodded in agreement while the rest could only look away. It seems not everyone thought their experience was meaningless for they all ended up being satisfied by different achievements along the way.

"Ahehehe... That's not true. At least we didn't have to do laps and drink another one of Inui's juices today." Kawamura reasoned, his eyes snapping open after realizing the latter part of his statement. "I mean... ahehe... it would be a shame if we ran out of Inui Juice for the next training session." Everyone grimaced at his lamely made up excuse. Taka-san is definitely a terrible liar.

_I don't know about these two, but at least I got to spend the afternoon with him. _Ayumi and Chiharu mentally jumped up and down for joy as they both looked at their objects of affections.

_Ihihihihi... Data... _Inui cackled madly inside. He had finished an entire notebook during one afternoon which meant another one for the collection.

_At least no one got hurt!_ Oishi thought as he sighed in relief. His face then contorted when he realized how much explaining they'd have to do when they face a raging Ryuzaki-sensei.

"Oi Echizen, isn't that obaasan's granddaughter?" Momoshiro asked while pointing to two figures among the crowd. Everyone looked to the direction and indeed found Sakuno trailing behind a boy about her age. He was holding onto her wrist as they walked through the busy streets of Tokyo's shopping district. Everyone grinned and found a rooted Echizen who, unknown to himself, turned green as he observed the two from afar.

"Tago" Echizen muttered discreetly although his companions heard clearly.

"Ah! Senpais! I forgot I had to... uh... run a few errands for my mom! Ikuzo, Echizen!" Momoshiro grabbed hold of the freshman's wrist and dragged him towards Hideki's and Sakuno's direction.

"That was a lame excuse." Echizen complained as he allowed himself to be dragged.

"Che! I'm not the one who will benefit from this!" The junior retorted before disappearing into the crowd with Seigaku's super rookie.

"Hoi, finally something exciting!" Kikumaru exclaimed. He was about to drag Momoshiro and Echizen into following their coach's granddaughter but found them already missing when he turned around. "Nya!! Where's ochibi and Momo?" Kikumaru burst.

Chiharu slapped her head. "If you didn't notice, Momoshiro and Echizen have already left for what I think you're thinking." She deadpanned.

Tears streaming down his eyes, Kikumaru wailed. "NYAAAA! My adventure!!" In an instant, Kikumaru suddenly turned pale as if life had been sucked out of him.

"Kyaaa!! Where's Inui-kun?!" Ayumi yowled. If he can magically pop out of nowhere, I guess it's safe to say that Inui can also magically vanish out of sight.

With her hand still on her head, "If you didn't notice, Inui had already left and what I think you're thinking can no longer be accomplished" she deadpanned again.

"Ne, ne Haruto-san, I don't think provoking her would be wise." Kawamura advised while nudgring the hazel-eyed girl. He pointed to a raging Ayumi whose eyes were on fire and looked like she was about to strangle anyone she got her hands on.

"EEP!" Chiharu gulped.

"Mou... Let's all calm down. I should probably get going as well, I still have to catch the train! Chiharu-san, would you like to me to walk you home?" Chiharu's eyes suddenly twinkled in delight after hearing her "knight in shining armour" say the magic words. Not only was she saved from the wrath of Ayumi, she also gets to spend the following 20 minutes with "the man of her dreams".

"Are you sure it's not a bother?" came the girl's lame attempt to seem decorous.

"Hai. Your house is only a few blocks away from mine anyway." Oishi reassured and flashed her a welcoming smile. Chiharu instantly latched onto Oishi's arm and started dragging—walking him home. Wasn't that supposed to be the other way around?

"Fssssshhh... Training... Fssshhh." Came what appears to be Kaidoh's farewell.

"Kaidoh's really dedicated ne?" Fuji commented as he watched their snake-like team mate jog away, slithering into the crowd. Kawamura could only nod.

"I guess I should also get going, Otou-san might be needing my help." The bashful Kawamura excused.

"I'll go with Taka-san since my house is on the way to his. I'll see you guys at morning training!" Ayumi bade before she and Kawamura went on their way.

"Saa... It seems everyone went home satisfied, ne Eiji?" Inside, Fuji couldn't explain why he felt relieved and at ease after learning that his captain and 'long lost friend' weren't going out. Figuring it was better than feeling worried, the tensai turned to his redheaded friend and found he was still in his stupefied state. _Saa... There's nothing left to do anyway..._

"Ne Eiji, isn't Colgate releasing a new toothpaste flavour today?" At this, Kikumaru's ears started to perk up. "Maybe I should reward you by buying you that new flavour, since you've been so well behaved." Fuji instantly found himself being dragged by down the street and into the shopping centre.

"Hoi! Fujiko is the best!" Kikumaru squealed in his usual state.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

"Thanks for today Tezuka-san. You've been very patient." The raven-haired girl bowed her head in gratitude.

"Aa... You did well today. Keep it up." Came the stoic boy's monotonous reply. He started walking to the court exit then turned and found the raven-haired girl place her tennis racquet in her bag and took what looked like a badminton racquet out. She tapped the gut of her racket on her palm, a habit of hers when holding racquets, to check the tension of her strings. When she looked up, she was a bit surprised that the bespectacled lad was still there waiting for her.

"Ah! It's okay Tezuka-san... You see, I still have a training session with my coach tonight since I missed Sunday training." Reiko explained, only to be faced with a blank look.

"Anou... I figured since I'm already here, I may as well schedule my make-up session after ours." She finished.

"Will you be fine by yourself?" He didn't know why it took him a while to respond. Inside, he struggled to resist the urge of staying to watch her train.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern. If something happens it'll be on your conscience." Reiko reassured with a playful grin again, only to be answered by a blank look.

"..."

"Kidding kidding! Don't worry, I live nearby." She reassured once more, taking her things and walking out the exit, Tezuka just ahead of her. Silence filled the air as she waited for him to respond.

"Aa... Don't overwork yourself. Yudan sezu ni ikou." The stoic boy finally responded. They'd reached the lobby and decided to part ways. Tezuka headed for the exit, while Reiko headed for the badminton hall.

Having just stepped out of the sports centre, a loud voice made the placid boy stop in his tracks and look back.

"Hasegawa Reiko! You're 5 minutes late! Drop and give me 50! NOW!" A deep male voice boomed throughout the whole complex. With a large bead of sweat trickling down the back of his head, Tezuka resisted the urge to go back and headed to the train station.

* * *

**Streets of Tokyo...**

Checking his wrist watch which read 7:15 pm, Fuji walked home telling himself to never go near a shopping centre with his Kikumaru Eiji again. It was virtually impossible to stop his team mate from making side-trips at all the shops they passed. They ended up spending a bit over 2 hours rather than 20 minutes to buy a tube of toothpaste, for every time his friend found something new, the redhead would drag him to a store and bombard him and the sales clerks never ending questions. He practically had to drag the redhead out of the shop before they got kicked out.

His troubles DID pay off when he saw the horrified expression on his friend's face when they learned what the new toothpaste flavour was.

_Fuji's Flashback..._

"_WASABI FLAVOUR?!" Kikumaru blurted out. Eyes bulging out of its sockets as he read the label over and over again._

"_Saa... I guess I'll be taking two." Fuji enthused._

_End of Flashback..._

Fuji felt his smile widen upon spotting a familiar figure that walked the same path to his house. Holding onto the straps of his tennis bag, the tensai jogged a few minutes in order to catch up to the said person.

"We're out late tonight... Ne Hasegawa-san." Fuji remarked playfully when they were finally side-by-side. The raven-haired girl suddenly felt her eye twitch.

"What do you want Fuji? I just came out of hell and I'm in no mood for your games." Reiko bit back.

"Training?" Inside Fuji was curious as to why his companion just now going home. He assumed her session with Tezuka would have been finished two hours ago. He started to feel anxious when his mind started to assume if the two had gone somewhere else after their session. _But if that were the case, why would she say she had a bad time? And why isn't Tezuka walking her home?_

"Yeah... I just had a make-up session with my badminton coach since I missed last Sunday's training." Rather than coming up with something sarcastic, Reiko chose to answer her nemesis' question properly. They were acting civil at the moment, and she was too tired to start another squabble, so she tried her best to keep it that way.

_So she was training. _The tensai's smile grew a millimetre wider and felt his chest ease after hearing her reply. A wave of relief washed away his worries yet again. _I've been worrying a lot lately, perhaps I am hanging out with Oishi too often._ He assumed. He discreetly watched his companion as they walked up a small hill. He noticed she was running slightly out of breath and the small beads of sweat that formed on her forehead.

Wit his senses knocking back in, Fuji grabbed the girl's racquet bag and slung it over his shoulder. The bag was a bit heavy causing his back to slump a bit, making him looke like the girl's lackey. He took the girl by surprise at the same time.

"Sure you wanna carry that?" Reiko asked as she eyed the brown-haired lad who had his school bag, his tennis bag on one shoulder and her racquet bag on the other. She felt relieved after the burden of carrying her rather heave racquet bag was taken, but she was also aware of the weight of that bag. The boy merely nodded.

"Tired?" He asked with a smile. His face met the bespectacled girl's slightly stunned one. She couldn't help but feel like something in her nemesis' smile was different. It wasn't just the usual plastered smile he wore every day. No, this smile seemed real. She'd only seen a real smile on her companion's face once, never had she thought of seeing it a second time.

"Yeah." She nodded. It seems tonight Fuji didn't intend on picking a fight. Her mouth started to curl up into a small smile at the realization. _So this guy has a nice side after all. _She thought as they continued to walk in comfortable silence. _If he is up to something, I guess I'll have to deal with it._

"Saa... That's a nice key chain. Mind if I ask where you got it?" Fuji complimented while pointing to a panda key chain attached to the bespectacled girl's school bag. His smile now tugged a micrometre bigger.

"I don't know. Someone just put it in my locker this morning. We're still trying to find out who did it." She explained.

"We?"

"Yeah. Eiji, Ayumi, Chiharu and Inui are helping me find out."

Fuji felt himself stop slightly at her response.

"Sou ka... I guess you won't have to worry about finding this person soon. Inui is quite good with investigations."

"I can tell... He says he's already made a list of the likely 'suspects'"

"I see... As expected of Inui." The brown-haired boy held a distant gaze as they continued to walk in silence.

The two continued to walk in good terms, both seeming to be deep in thought but occasionally having small talk every now and then. This went on until they reached their destination.

"This is my stop." Reiko declared as they walked to her front door. "And that's your's over there." She said smiling while pointing to the house next to theirs. Fuji merely nodded as he put the girl's racquet bag on the porch.

"Woof!" A huge, white ball of fluff came rushing out to the front yard as soon as it heard his master's distinct voice.

"Hello, Krypto-kun." Fuji patted the dog on the head as it approached them.

"Oi Fuji..."

"Hm?"

"Thanks for walking me home."

"But I didn't. It just so happened we were going the same way." Fuji replied teasingly. Reiko's eyes instantly started twitching.

"Whatever. Thanks anyway. And thanks for carrying my bag as well."

"It's not a problem." The tensai welcomed.

"Oh, and thanks for not picking a fight. I rather appreciated not squabbling for once. Though I won't expect it to be the case all the time."

"Since when have I picked a fight?" Fuji asked with a fake look of innocence. "Saa... So is there anything else you'd like to thank me for?" He teased again. Reiko felt a vein pop up on her head.

Breathing in, "Beat it, before anything else happens. Otherwise I won't be held accountable..." The raven-haired girl warned. The brown-haired lad let out a feint chuckle before taking his leave.

"Saa... I'll see you at morning practice tomorrow then. Rest well." Fuji bade as he walked to his house.

"Will do!" Reiko called out.

Upon reaching their front door, Fuji called out yet again. "Oh and Hasegawa-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget the history test on Monday! It's worth 30 percent of our entire history grade!" Fuji flashed the raven-haired girl, who had fallen down the ground, a devious smile before hurriedly heading inside his own house.

"That bastard... Way to ruin the moment." The bespectacled girl muttered as she regained composure and entered her house, her dog only gave her a dumbfounded look.

* * *

**Saturday... morning... way early in the morning...**

Someone was still burning the midnight oil as she diligently studied on a Saturday morning. Hasegawa Reiko yawned for the umpteenth time as she again glanced at her clock to check the time. 2:15 am, it read. It was 2:15 in the morning of a weekend and she was still up studying.

"Jeez Reiko, who'd be up at this hour to study? It'd be understandable if you were 'Youtube-ing'." She muttered. She'd been reading the same 3 pages of her text book over and over again, hoping it would make sense after a while. Truth be told, she'd been studying for around 6 hours and all she knew about World War 2 was that Japan had lost. It did not help that she was studying for history after being physically drained from tennis and badminton. Usually after hard training sessions, she'd come home feeling restless and eventually feel the need to sleep. Tonight, however, was different. She initially felt restless after coming out of the shower like she normally does after sport. However, 5 minutes after opening her History text book and she already felt drowsiness overwhelm her.

She knew that it wasn't only her grade hanging on the balance, but also her partner's, who was coincidentally Fuji. Although she'd enjoy tormentin, destroying, ripping him to shreds and making him beg for mercy, she didn't plan on using academics to do so. She also knew that right now would be the best time for her to study, since she had already built up momentum. Delaying her revision is not an option, for one, it is most likely that she will sleep in til noon the next day if she did. Two, being the chronic procrastinator that she was, it is highly likely for her to keep delaying her revision until she realizes it's too late. Lastly, delaying her revision might 

lead to her not being able to train on Sunday. Sacrificing badminton training and facing the wrath of her coach is not an option which is why she must struggle to cram everything in her head right now.

The problem was nothing could be forced in. History and Hasegawa Reiko would just not click.

"ARGHHHHH!" She groaned in frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't find any interest in the topic. This is most likely why she found it so hard to grasp.

"I don't get why we even need to know these things!" Stultified, she extended her left arm on the table and rest her head on it, her right hand tapping the pen forcefully on her desk.

TOK!

Reiko jerked up in surprise as she heard something fall down on her floor. She slowly turned her head to the direction of the sound, her eyes tightly shut as she prayed to all the gods that it wasn't a vampire or a ghost. She was stunned to find a bright yellow tennis ball on the floor. She was sure she didn't leave any tennis balls lying on the floor like that. She picked up the ball and found there was something written on it.

'_Look out your window.'_

Curious, Reiko approached her wide open sliding window and walked out the small balcony. She looked around for anything but found it slightly hard to see in the dark.

"Pssst..." The sound startled the raven-haired girl as she slowly turned to where she thought the sound came from. Her hairs stood up and her feet felt numb as she came face to face with an illuminated head.

"GAHHHH!" She screamed. By instinct, she threw the tennis ball on her hand at the face she saw hitting it square in the middle.

"Ite!" A familiar voice groaned.

"What the—Fuji?!"

"Rei... Are you watching horror movies again? Turn it off and go to bed!" A voice that seemed to belong to Mr. Hasegawa sleepily yelled out from inside the house.

"Yeah!" She yelled back. She turned to the where the illuminated face was just a few moments ago and found it was from the other side of her nemesis' window. She heard someone groan and a dim orange light flickered inside. Soon the familiar face of her brown-haired arch enemy appeared a flash light was under his chin.

"You idiot! You nearly scared me to death!" The bespectacled girl complained. "And can you not shine the bloody torch on your face, you look like a ghost?!" she sounded more commanding than asking.

"You should consider playing softball, Hasegawa-san. That fast ball was superb." Fuji greeted as he walked out his small balcony.

"I didn't know that was your room." Fuji directed the torch light which was initially pointed up to his face and pointed it to the room ahead him. It appears his balcony was no more than 2 metres away from his partner's and was but a few feet lower.

"Why are you still up? Don't tell me you have nothing better to do at this hour." Reiko demanded.

"Saa... I should be the one asking you that question. You see, I'm supposedly sleeping at this hour but loud groans of, what I assume to be frustration, have prevented me from doing so." The tensai cleverly reasoned. The bespectacled girl felt her cheeks turn red when she realized it was her fault that the brown-haired lad was still up at this irregular hour.

"Oh... Sorry. I'll try to keep it down." Reiko bowed her head as she apologised.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping like a log by now? Considering you came from training?"

"I should, but then I was reminded that I had to study." Reiko said dryly. If it weren't for the person in front of her, she wouldn't have remembered the history test on Monday. The bespectacled girl wasn't sure if should be grateful or annoyed at that.

"History?" Fuji asked as he directed his torch to the textbook on the study desk. Reiko followed the direction of light and nodded.

"Yeah. I figured now was the best time since I procrastinate a lot."

"Sou ka. I'm guessing it's not going very well?"

"I've been reading the same 3 pages for the past 2 hours. Revising for about 6 hours and yet the only knowledge I have is that our country lost during World War 2. I guess I really don't click with history."

"I see... Ne Hasegawa-san? Did you know that during World War 2, the German-submarine U-120 was sunk by a malfunctioning toilet?"

"Huh? Really? But aren't submarines meant to sink?"

"Yes. Quite ironic isn't it. My theory is the Germans were unable to avoid problems such as these because many Jewish-German physicists left the country at the time."

"Eh? Why?" The raven-haired girl asked dumbfounded.

"You see at the time, Jewish migrants that lived there at the time were disliked by some Germans because they're small population composed the majority of the successful population in the country. For example 10 percent of the people at the time were doctors, 6 out of this ten percent were Jewish. Of course that statistic is a very rought estimate." Fuji paused and found Reiko nod in understanding.

"That's why when Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, more popularly known as the Nazi, came into power, he forced the Jewish people out of the country, with his idea that only blonde-haired and blue-eyed people, called Aryans, were fit to live in Germany." He continued.

"I reckon that's a load of bull—Ahem... continue." Fuji's smile slightly widened when he realized his strategy to get his partner interested in history was working.

"As I said, Hitler ordered the Jewish people to be imprisoned and executed. Many Jewish people that lived in Germany fled the country in order to escape and among them were prominent scientists and physicists, Albert Einstein included."

"Ah... Hah! They must've regretted losing Einstein!" Reiko grinned. "That was kind of interesting..." Reiko had her index finger on her chin as she again nodded in comprehension.

"Yes. There are many things that make History interesting. It's just a matter of perspective." Fuji advised.

"Yeah. Too bad I can't see it in the right one." She scoffed.

After pausing to think for a moment, the brown-haired boy then looked at his partner with a smile. "Ne Hasegawa-san, perhaps I could help you with your History revision." The bespectacled girl looked suspicious after hearing the suggestion.

"Are you serious?! We can't even stay in a room without being at each other's throats." Reiko blurted out.

"Not right now." Fuji countered. Heaving a deep breath, "Saa, I'll make you a deal then. I promise to avoid blowing your rather short fuse as we revise, if you allow me to teach you with my own methods." Fuji proposed.

"Hmm..." Reiko felt tempted at the her partner's proposal but she couldn't help but feel a bit wary, after all, it's Fuji Syuusuke she's talking to.

"I wouldn't want to waste your time. Why would you want to help me anyway?" Reiko asked sceptically.

"I don't." Fuji paused and thought for a brief moment. "I'm merely helping myself. Our grades will be averaged for this assessment test and I would like to keep my grades in the high 90s. Besides, I don't think studying is considered to be a waste of time." He reasoned.

"Selfish bastard. Didn't know you were such a grade grubber." Reiko retorted with a smirk. "Okay, if you really wanna help this sinking ship stay afloat then I accept." Reiko stretched her hand out and Fuji shook it to seal their deal.

"So then..." Fuji started as he walked back into his room and later remerged with a foldable ladder in hand.

"You keep a ladder in your room?" Reiko asked incredulously.

"It comes in handy." Fuji replied casually while unfolding the ladder and setting it up so it was stably leaning on his partner's balcony.

"Oi, Fuji... What are you—?" The bespectacled girl didn't even get to finish her question for her jaw fell after seeing her partner start climbing up the ladder. Five steps later she found him standing beside her.

"Are you crazy? What if you fell?! It'll be on my conscience!" Reiko reprimanded.

"I appreciate your concern, but the hedge will break my fall if ever an event happened." Fuji pointed down and Reiko saw the bottlebrush hedge that separated their houses.

"You are insane."

"So it appears. I volunteered to tutor you."

"The deal, the deal." Reiko reminded. "Anyway it's..." The bespectacled girl paused to check the time. "Three in the morning. Don't you want to get some shut eye first? We can start tomorrow, I mean, later today."

"I'm already up anyway. Besides you were the one who said it yourself, 'now is the best time.'" Fuji countered while heading inside the girl's room. "We'll only revise on what is essential for now. We can do that until 5 and you can rest then. I will require you to be up by 1 pm later though." Fuji instructed while flipping pages through the text book.

"Hai hai. 'Fuji-sensei'." Reiko nodded her head while air-quoting the words "Fuji-sensei" as she followed him inside her room. After stuffing a pile of clothes inside her closet, Reiko grabbed a chair and positioned it beside the brown haired boy.

Propping herself down, Reiko couldn't stop her lips from forming a smile. _This guy may not be so bad after all._

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

What'd you guys think? It's quite easy to commit spelling, typographical and syntax errors when writing long chapters so I apologize if there are any. Feel free to correct me if you find them.

Few shout outs to awesome reviewers...

**Otakugal**- Yes, it seems so.

**fmuder**- I agree. It did seem a little hard to read so I tried tweaking it a bit in this chapter. I hope this is slightly better. I'll find ways to make the story have a better flow.

**seshata4434**- Thank you! I promist to try and make everything a surprise.

**invisible-gurl**- Maybe... LOL... Maybe the panda was an attempt to refresh her memory (hint hint)

**singer in the wind**- LOL... The pairing will become clear in the future chapters. Waiting for your reply btw!

**Heart**- Thank you! LOL... I'll go get milk for those cookies.. haha!

**Charmane**- I'm really flattered! Thank you so much! Hope you stay tuned!

**unknown-player**- Algebra eh? Maybe we can get Fuji to help. LOL

**moonlitelover**- Oh, there's heaps in store for our female lead... stay tuned!

**dfisher**- Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

**White Alchemist Taya**- Yeah, they both are. I wonder too... ahaha!

**fujilovesme**- I think you mean a different fic? I don't remember putting anything about Tezuka and a locket during the previous chapter, O.o? I think I know which fic you are talking about. But thank you for the review nonetheless!

**PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW ON YOUR WAY OUT!  
**


	17. Shocking, Isn't It?

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys,

For all of you who follow this humble fic and are curious of how my OC Hasegawa Reiko looks like, I was actually bored enough (during maths class...) to draw her. I don't have much artistic abillity, but my drawing was the closest depiction of how I imagined her to be. I posted the drawings on blogspot, just follow the link on my profile!

Anyway, here's Chapter 17 of Battle of the Tensais: "Shocking, Isn't It?"

Enjoy!

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XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Saturday... 4:30 in the Morning...**

It was already half past four on a Saturday Morning and yet 2 diligent souls were still up and studying. What's more remarkable is that Hasegawa Reiko and Fuji Syuusuke, mortal enemies, have been together in one room, less than 2 feet apart, have lasted a whole hour and half without bickering, screaming and throttling each other's necks.

"Really? So the 'making white-sausage tradition' in Poland really came from Germany?" Reiko asked her new history tutor, her face filled with child-like wonder.

"Hai. The Polish cuisine was influenced by the Germans because of the Second World War, where the Germans infiltrated Poland in 1939, which by the way sparked the war." Fuji stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

The tennis prodigy glanced over at his study partner and found her groggily nodding her head in understanding whilst trying to stifle a yawn. He put the history text book to a close and stretched his arms, his earlier act catching the drowsy girl slightly by surprise.

"Eh?"

The brown-haired lad turned to his tutee once again and this time found her head slightly tilted to the side, her face held an inquisitive look.

"Why don't we call it a night? Rather, a day?" Fuji suggested, his face flashing his partner's a warm smile.

"Didn't you say til 5? There's still half an hour left." She replied.

"Saa... But there is no point in teaching a mind that is half-asleep." Fuji pat the raven-haired girl's head, his warm smile now turned into a playful grin.

Rolling the long sleeve of her bear printed pyjama top, "Oi oi oi... Are you saying I'm thick-headed?" Reiko asked defensively.

"I am not guilty of having implied as such." Even though it was an irregular hour, it seems the tensai's mind was still capable of coming up with clever come backs.

Sighing, "I am merely suggesting that it may be better to continue our revision when your body is refreshed. Give your mind time to absorb what we've discussed as you sleep." Fuji advised as he playfully wagged his index finger in front of his partner's face.

"Yeah, but there isn't even much to absorb! No offense, but for the past hour and a half all you've done is throw me some "fun facts" and old war stories, which I am curious of how you know, considering you weren't even born that time. OR were you?" Reiko asked as she squinted her eyes at him sceptically.

"Saa... I suggest you really get some rest, Hasegawa-san." Fuji advised as he noticed his tutee was slowly losing sense in every minute that passed.

"Whatever, my point is, we're finishing up already and we've barely even used the book!"

Although her voice was hushed, it was evident that Hasegawa Reiko was starting to panic. It didn't help that her tutor only had one facial expression that failed to indicate anything.

"Saa... Well then, why don't we test your knowledge to see if the past hour and a half has been helpful?" Fuji suggested while leaning back on the chair and crossing his arms, the mischievous grin never ceased to play on his lips.

"Okay?" Reiko agreed with uncertainty.

"First question. Which significant event led to the start of World War 2?" Fuji asked, his tone sounded challenging.

"Uhmm... Something about sausages... and Poland being invaded in 1939... When the German Luftwaffe or something invaded the country from the north. And then the Polish armies retreated east... I think" Reiko answered with her index finger on her chin. Her face suddenly awakened at another thought. "Is that right?" Reiko asked herself while Fuji merely chuckled in his seat while giving the girl an approving nod.

"That's quite right, but do remember Poland's invasion has nothing to do with sausages." The boy chuckled some more.

Settling down, "After Germany invaded Poland, the latter country's allies declared war on Germany. When and which countries were they?" Fuji asked again, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.

"Uh... U.K., Australia and New Zealand? Then some other countries after that... Anou, did they declare war on Germany on the 3rd of September? 1939?" Reiko answered unsurely. Her face brightened when her history tutor gave her another nod.

"Woah. Okay, how'd I know that?" She thought once again. Snapping her fingers in realization, "You did that on purpose!" she accused while pointing a finger at the brown-haired boy who had an innocent look.

"I don't know what you mean." He denied.

"The war stories, the trivia..." the raven haired-girl started to elaborate. "I didn't notice I was actually learning something important when I was asking all those unrelated questions."

Reiko was half stunned by how much history knowledge she'd gained over the past hour and half. The other half was amazed at how her learning partner managed to make her revision more fun and at the same time interesting. After all, it's History.

"I have to say, I'm impressed." Reiko admitted with a smile. "I don't exactly know how you made me understand those concepts, but somehow you managed to do it. And as much as I'd hate to say this, I am grateful for your help." She bowed her head in gratitude.

"Saa... You're quite a quick learner when interested. I merely sparked that interest, the knowledge you grasped on your own." Fuji complimented while standing up and stretching his arms once again.

"Is that a compliment I hear? Coming from THE Fuji Syuusuke?!" The bespectacled girl teased with a fake incredulous look.

Smirking, "From what I remember, you were first to do so." the tensai countered.

"Che, whatever..." The raven-haired girl retorted as she crossed her arms and looked away.

"Saa... It's been a pleasant session, but we are only halfway through covering the entire unit's work. I suggest you get some rest before we resume our revision." The tensai advised as he stood up and headed for the balcony.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. You're the teacher." Reiko obeyed while shrugging her shoulders as she followed her tutor.

"Saa... I shall see you later then. Don't forget, up by noon." The boy reminded while going down the set of steps and on to his balcony.

"Hai hai!" Reiko acquiesced nodding her head.

"Saa then..." Fuji looked up. "Rest well." And with a wave, the tensai bade his partner goodbye and went in his room for some well deserved sleep.

* * *

**Reiko's Room...**

The raven-haired girl lay on her bed pleased. Who would've thought that of all the people that would help her salvage her history grade, it'd be Fuji? Never has she imagined herself being in the same room as the brown-haired boy if not for the motive of inflicting him misery and pain. And yet, they were able to spend almost two whole hours, not to mention irregular hours, on a Saturday morning, studying and not going at each other's throats.

She couldn't believe that her nemesis was the one responsible for making History, dare she say it, interesting. The idea had always seemed implausible and now she lay there with a total change of mind. The raven-haired girl closed her eyes and turned to her side for a better sleeping position, her contented grin never faltering.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, a thought ran through her head and caused her eyes to widen again.

_Did he say we were already halfway through this sem's work?!_ She thought with her grin stretching from ear to ear. _This is going to be a looooong morning. _She thought as she restlessly lay in bed.

* * *

**8:05 a.m. at Seigaku Tennis Courts...**

Tezuka resisted the urge to impatiently tap his foot. It's been five minutes since the start of morning practice and still no sign of Reiko, Fuji or Oishi. His gaze averted to the closest entrance and lo and behold, walking through the gate was the tennis club's vice captain, tennis bag slung on one shoulder with his hand gripping the strap, while his other hand held his mobile phone up. He seemed to be reading a message.

"Ohayou Tezuka. I'm sorry I'm late, my bus was delayed.' The fukubuchou apologised.

"That's fine. Warm up." The stoic lad commanded in his usual monotone voice that not a hint of annoyance could be distinguished.

"Anou..." Oishi started.

Tezuka turned and found his vice captain was still there. "Is there anything you wish to discuss?" He asked impassively.

"Ah. Hai. I just received a message from Fuji saying he and Hasegawa-san wouldn't be attending morning practice today." Oishi informed a bit hesitantly. Everyone, who was currently doing their laps, seemed to have stopped with their ears perked up. Of course, the stoic captain didn't fail to notice.

"What are you all doing? To your laps!" Tezuka barked and the tennis team instantly scrambled to their feet. Shifting his head to his subordinate, "Did Fuji mention why?" The placid boy asked while trying to stop his brows from furrowing.

"It seems they are studying for a big history test on Monday." Oishi explained while Tezuka nodded. This time, Kikumaru who was passing by stopped in his tracks, his ears seemed to have grown as large as an elephant's.

"I see..." came the stoic boy's unfazed response. "You may proceed to doing your laps." Tezuka commanded as he walked off heading to Ryuzaki-sensei.

Oishi obediently followed his captain's orders and was about to start his laps when the other half of the Golden Pair decided to ambush him instead.

"Hoi? Oishi! Is it true Rei-chan and Fujiko are missing training together?" The redhead asked as he brought his face closer to his partner's with his eyes squinted, as if trying to see if his partner is telling the truth. It seems the redhead is yet to try the wasabi toothpaste his absent friend bought him since he was still as loud as ever.

"Aa..." Oishi confirmed nervously. After a split second he found his partner on the ground with a steaming lump forming on his head.

"Don't put your face so close!" Chiharu raised her fists in the air as she fumed at the knocked out Eiji.

"Ohayou, Chiharu-san." Oishi greeted the hazel-eyed girl. His head was bowed down low to conceal the blush on his face. The redhead instantly recovered after seeing this.

"Hoi..." The redhead sneered as he noticed the awkward tension between the two. "Is there anything you two want to tell me?" The redhead asked, nudging his doubles partner's arm.

"A-anou..." The two stammered causing the redhead's sly grin to stretch wider.

"We're sort of... You see..." Chiharu stuttered while fiddling with her fingers, her eyes never leaving the floor as she spoke.

"Kind of..." Oishi trailed

"We?" The redhead continued to egg.

Both heaving deep breaths, "You see, we kind of got together." The two exhaled simultaneously after their announcement. What happened after caught them off guard.

"YAHOO!" The two watched as the redhead bounced up and down while showering them with leaves. "Ne, ne... So how did the two get together?" The redhead prodded with a sly smile.

"You see... It was yesterday, when we were walking home." Chiharu began.

_Oishi and Chiharu's Flashbacks_

_The walk to their houses had been uncomfortably quiet. Both Chiharu and Oishi neither exchanged words since they left their team mates outside the sports centre. Chiharu sighed, unsure if in relief or disappointment, upon spotting the familiar green gate to their residence._

"_Thanks for walking me home." The hazel-eyed girl bowed while expressing her gratitude._

"_It's not a problem." Oishi welcomed while rubbing the back of his head._

_The hazel eyed girl turned to open the gate to her house and then stopped to glance at Oishi once more to find he had also turned around and was just about ready to go on his way._

"_Oishi." She called out._

"_Yes?"_

_What happened next most definitely caught the Seigaku vice captain off guard. Usually timid and shy around him, the fukubuchou did not expect the hazel-eyed girl to make the 'first move'. He unconsciously touched his left cheek as he stared at the girl wide-eyed._

"_Sorry!" The hazel-eyed girl apologised before rushing to go inside the gate._

"_Wait!" The fukubuchou found himself clutching the girl's wrist tightly, stopping her from entering the house. They stood there for a moment, silently staring at each other's eyes._

"_Anou Chiharu-san." Oishi started bashfully._

"_Y-Yes?" The girl asked, her cheeks furiously red._

_Not knowing what else to say, the fukubuchou let his actions speak for him instead as he pulled the slightly stunned girl into a tight embrace._

_End of Flashback_

"You see..."

Chiharu was about to relay the story of her life when an abrupt interruption prevented her from doing so.

"Nani?! Reiko-senpai and Fuji-senpai are together?!" A staggered Momoshiro interjected.

"Don't go jumping into conclusions, do'aho!" Kaidoh hissed as he followed Momoshiro, although deep down he was itching to find out what was going on between his 2 senpais.

"Ha?" Oishi and Chiharu looked at each other incredulously. Kikumaru's jaw fell.

"Uso!" Ayumi, who happened to be passing by, exclaimed.

"Ii data..." Inui enthused as he followed behind, pen and notebook in hand.

"Fuji and..." Oishi started.

"Reiko..? TOGETHER?!" Chiharu finished, eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"WHAT'S THIS?! FUJI AND REIKO ARE DATING?! SHOCKIIIING! UNBELIEVABLE!" A shocked Taka-san in burning mode yelled in horrendous English. Earlier, since the tennis team was doing laps, Echizen thought it would be a great idea to hand Kawamura his tennis racquet. It seems it wasn't such a wise idea after all.

"Oi Echizen! Ground-breaking news! Fuji-senpai and Hasegawa-senpai are together!" Momoshiro yelled out to the freshman who happened to be jogging past. "I can actually feel the ground tremor!" Momoshiro added. Soon, everyone else felt their body shake as the 'tremors' got stronger. They turned to where they felt the epicentre of the tremors were coming and found the towering Kaita fast approaching.

"Ahehehe... It was only Kaita-senpai."The junior rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"That's impossible! They're always at each other's throats!" Ayumi blurted out, completely ignoring Momoshiro. "One of them would have to be dead for that to happen!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oi Echizen? What's going on?" A curious Horio asked as he approached the freshman and his senpais.

"The senpais are starting rumours again." Echizen said impassively. "Apparently Fuji-senpai and Hasegawa-senpai are dating." He finished. Echizen being Echizen, decided he shouldn't be wasting his time gossiping and continued his laps while the two other freshmen, Katsuo and Kachiro approached the boy with the "mono-brow".

"Horio-kun? What's all the fuss about?" The mushroom haired boy asked.

Horio eyed the two haughtily. "Heh? Weren't you two listening? Fuji-senpai and Hasegawa-senpai are dating!"

It seems the 'mono-browed' boy's selective hearing had blocked out the first part of Echizen's statement, seeing his brain has only processed the latter part, and so added more fuel to the fire.

"EH?!" The two exclaimed as they joined the sceptical crowd.

"Where'd you get that idea, Momo?" came Oishi's attempt to clear the scandal.

"Eh? I overheard you." Momoshiro replied casually.

"But we never said—" Chiharu tried to explain but was cut off by a confused Kikumaru.

"HOI?! Rei-chan and Fujiko?! Dating, nya?!" an astonished Kikumaru squeaked, not knowing the he was ushering the whole conversation to the wrong direction.

_Weak minds are easily persuaded. _Chiharu thought dryly as she watched the redhead get a panic-attack.

"Now, hold on—"Again, Oishi's attempt to suppress the hype was exterminated.

"That explains their absence this morning. Ii data..." Inui cut off. Suddenly everyone grew more curious.

"Fshhhhhh..." Kaidoh shook his head disapprovingly. He never took his senpai, the tennis prodigy of Seishun Gakuen Middle School, as the type to skip training to go on a date, nor did he think that his raven-haired senpai was the irresponsible type.

Wasn't it just moments ago that Kaidoh was opposed to the whole Fuji and Reiko dating idea? Amazing what a bit of hype can do to people. Now he's completely sold.

"But—!" Chiharu tried to reason but to no avail.

"Nya! Why didn't Fujiko tell any of us?" Kikumaru wailed with fake crocodile tears.

"Since when have the senpais been going out?" Momohiro asked. Oishi and Chiharu merely looked at each other and slumped their shoulders in resignation. The two were too flustered to bother trying to put out the escalating rumour. It's not like the regulars can be stopped anyway.

"WAIT!" Ayumi intervened in the midst of the commotion. "If that were the case, then why do the two fight like cat and dog?!" Ayumi asked. Her question seemed to have shut everyone up.

"Ah... There is a 10 percent possibility that Fuji and Hasegawa's 'hate-hate' relationship is a cover to their true relationship." The resident data-man suggested. Of course, coming from Inui, Ayumi became sold to the idea straight away, however ridiculous it was.

"Ah... Minna... Don't you all think we're jumping to conclusions? If Reiko and Fuji WERE going out, I'm sure they would let us now. I don't see any reason for them to keep their relationship a secret." Oishi stated in a matter-of-factly tone. The peace-loving fukubuchou flinched when he looked around and found everybody had devilish grins on their faces.

"AAHHHH! So Oishi-senpai admits that Hasegawa-senpai and Fuji-senpai ARE together!" Horio squawked causing their vice captain to turn blue.

"NYA! There's only one thing left to do! We must talk to Fujiko!" Kikumaru declared with a fist pumped in the air.

"Un!" Everyone enthused as they turned to head out the gates burning with determination.

"What's everybody doing?!" The stoic captain's voice bellowed. Everyone turned pale and remained rooted to the floor. "Everybody do 100 laps around the school!" Tezuka ordered. After a split second, nothing but a cloud of dust remained visible. Peace in the tennis grounds was again restored 

by the ever reliable Tezuka Kunimitsu. Seeing everyone was gone, Tezuka sighed while adjusting his glasses.

"Mou... I can't believe Fuji and Reiko are wagging training to go on a date. Don't they know that the match between Hyoutei is on this coming week?" whined Ryuzaki-sensei, a hand on her forehead. If Tezuka wasn't Tezuka, his face would've fallen flat on the ground. Regaining his composure by adjusting his glasses, the stoic captain restrained himself from rubbing his temples.

* * *

**Laps...**

"Hoi... We'll go to Fujiko's house straight after training! Our questions must not go unanswered, nya!" Kikumaru declared to his battalion of gossip-obsessed team mates.

"UN!" Everyone enthused.

"Mada mada dane, senpais." Echizen smirked as he ran ahead, leaving an angry mob of seniors behind. Chiharu and Oishi could only look at each other with dismay.

"Mou, Oishi. How did it turn out like this? Reiko-chan is going to kill us!" she squeaked. Sadly, the vice captain could only nod in agreement.

"But I guess talking to Fuji might not be a bad idea. Then everyone will eventually learn the truth." Inside though, Oishi wasn't too sure. His friend was never the predictable one. Who knows what he might do when his curious team mates came to raid his house with all their preposterous questions. Sometimes the tensai would let his sadistic nature get the better of him, and this worried the already fussbudget vice captain.

* * *

**Hasegawa Residence... 12:30 p.m.**

RRRRRIIIINGGGG!

A pale hand blindly felt her side table for a familiar pair of spectacles. Finding what it was looking for, the hand automatically put the glasses on its owner's face. Hasegawa Reiko groggily sat up and reached for the clock. 12:30, it read, her eyes suddenly bulging out of their sockets.

"ACK! Fuji said to be ready by noon!"

The pale girl panicked as she automatically walked out the sliding window and onto her balcony. To her relief she found the brown-haired lad outside his own balcony, humming a low tune while he watered his cacti.

"Good afternoon, Hasegawa-san." Fuji greeted the 'fresh off the bed' lass.

"Afternoon." She greeted, pausing to eye her partner once more. It seems her history tutor had been up for quite a while, seeing he was already dressed up and watering his countless cacti. "What time did you get up?" She asked curiously.

"When your alarm rang. Around 12 or so." He replied causally as he stopped watering his plants and leaned on the railing.

"My alarm's been ringing for 30 minutes and you didn't even bother to turn it off? You know how much battery that wasted?!" The raven-haired girl started to fume.

"Saa... I thought it would be improper for me to enter your room without consent. I'll remember to disregard that since you have told me otherwise." He explained with a smirk.

"Whatever..." Reiko muttered as she cursed the brown-haired boy mentally. "So do you wanna start now?" She inquired with a hand on her waist.

"I would suggest getting dressed in comfortable clothes first. Our study session will not be indoor." The tensai cracked a playful grin as he saw the dumbfounded look on the girl's face.

"Huh?" She asked blankly.

"Saa... We'll be having a field trip." He replied casually.

"Okaaaay...?" The raven haired girl paused to look at the brown-haired boy and noticed that he wasn't wearing normal house clothes and looked like he was about to go out. He wore a charcoal grey knitted vest and underneath was a sky blue casual collared shirt with white pinstripes. Part of the bottom of the shirt was tucked in his chocolate coloured canvas cord jeans, while the rest was left tucked out, giving his look a bit of an 'edge'.

"Whatever you say, you're the teacher." Reiko obeyed without further questions and headed inside her room.

"Hmmm... get dressed comfortably..." She repeated to herself while rummaging through the pile of clothes in her closet. She remembered what Fuji was wearing and tried to base her decision on his outfit. She ended up picking a pastel pink and white striped hooded jacket, with a plain white button through long-sleeved shirt to go underneath. For her bottoms, she decided to go for black low-boot wash-out jeans. As she was about to get dressed, a mortifying thought ran through her head.

_OH MY GOD! I went out without a bra?! _Her cheeks burned furiously as her mind kept replaying what her partner said.

_I would suggest getting dressed... I would suggest getting dressed... I would suggest getting dressed._

Reiko tried to shake her thoughts away, but to no avail. _That pervert! _She screamed in her mind. Although at the back of her head, her conscience reassured her mockingly. _It's not like there's anything to see anyway._ This would probably be the only other time she actually thanked God for making her the flat-chested being that she is. The other was when she played sports. Holding on to that thought for reassurance, she headed to her bathroom to get prepared.

She finished off by adding a pink twisted beret to match her outfit. Stuffing her phone, iPod, DS, history book and notebook, pencil case and wallet in her bag, she looked at herself in the full length mirror a last time. Giving herself a pass, she headed out to her balcony.

Fuji was playing "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" on his DS when he heard a window slide. He looked up and found his partner come into view. He felt a slight need to gasp for air when his throat seemed to constrict. It seemed as though the person in front of him had undergone a total transformation. He noticed how the pastel colours of her outfit actually brought out the natural blush on her cheeks, completely far from how her green school uniform clashed with her pale white skin and made her look like a vegetable. He switched off his DS and stood up from his Indian sit. He found it easier to breathe after he met the deadly gleam on his partner's glasses.

"Oi, Fuji..." She began, her voice sounding dangerous. "A while ago, when we were talking... Did you notice anything?" She finished. Her question sounded more like a threat.

"Hmm? I didn't notice anything." Fuji replied innocently. A vein popped on Reiko's forehead after hearing the tensai's reply.

"NANI?! ARE YOU SAYING I'M MEGA-ULTRA-SUPER-HYPER-MICRO-FLAT-CHE—" Before she could further humiliate herself, the voice at the back of her head spoke up again. _Oi Reiko, shouldn't you be glad he didn't notice anything. I told you there's nothing to see. _The voice snickered. In her head, a chainsaw had just chopped off her conscience's head off.

"Ahem... Are you sure?" She asked again, her voice was less threatening. Fuji nodded with his face slightly dumbfounded, while Reiko heaved a deep sigh.

"So, what do you plan to do?" The raven-haired girl inquired while crossing her arms.

"As I have said earlier, we will be going on a field trip." The tensai replied nonchalantly, his cavalier manner seeming to irritate the bespectacled girl. Inside, she was still slightly pissed that her history tutor did not notice 'anything'.

_Is he even a guy? Seriously? _She thought annoyed.

"If we're going out, I should probably ask permission first." The girl informed, pushing her ridiculous thoughts out of her head.

"Saa... No need. I've already asked your father's permission." The tensai informed while pointing down the balcony. Reiko looked to where he was pointing and saw her dad trimming the hedges with his "ultra-super-heavy-duty" hedge cutter, as her dad liked to call it.

As if sensing he was being watched, Mr. Hasegawa looked up and found his daughter and their young neighbour out on their respective balconies. He continued with what he was doing after he gave his daughter a wave and a thumbs-up.

Checking his watch, "If there isn't anything else, I'll meet you downstairs", Fuji went inside his room to go downstairs.

Meeting her partner on the sidewalk, "So, where to?" Reiko asked.

"Well, we better get some lunch first, ne?" Fuji casually replied. As if on command, the bespectacled girl's stomach started to grumble.

"I guess my stomach agrees." Reiko said with cheeks flushed. "You're treating though!" She quickly retaliated as she jogged off.

Fuji merely shrugged. "I intend to." He replied as he turned the opposite way. "Oh, and Hasegawa-san, we're going this way." He pointed to the direction he was headed. The bespectacled girl shuddered when she saw the look of mischief in her partner's face.

_What's he up to?_ The girl thought distrustfully as she trailed after the tennis prodigy.

The tenneagers were oblivious to the two adults that watched them from afar.

"Hahaha... Ah, what it's like to be young..."Mr. Hasegawa reminisced as he watched his daughter leave with their neighbour.

"You seem at ease when our daughter is going out with a boy. Do you favour our neighbour that highly, dear?" Mrs. Hasegawa inquired while handing her husband a glass of lemonade.

"Ahahaha! Of course, of course! Why wouldn't I? That boy is just like me when I was younger! Ahahahaha!" Mr. Hasegawa beamed proudly. A large bead of sweat ran down the back of Mrs. Hasegawa's head.

"Ah... I'd like to think Syuusuke-kun is a more responsible and better looking youth." Mrs. Hasegawa disagreed while trying to sound as un-offensive as possible. Her husband could be quite sensitive at times.

"WOOF!" Krypto barked in agreement.

"See? Krypto-kun seems to think so too." And with that, Mrs. Hasegawa entered the house leaving her husband choking on the cold refreshment.

* * *

**A Few Minutes after Fuji and Reiko's departure...**

"Hoi! We're here, Nya!" The redhead declared while pointing to the house in front of him like a tour guide.

The mob of Seigaku tennis people, save for Tezuka, merely nodded in agreement. There was no mistake that the house in front of them was indeed their senpai's. The patch of cacti growing on one portion of the front yard was proof of that.

Excited, the redhead practically ran to the porch to ring the doorbell while his friends waited on the sidewalk. The twinkle in his eyes started to diminish after a few minutes had gone and still no answer.

_Nya! No one is at home! _Kikumaru thought disheartened. Sighing, the redhead took out his phone and decided to give his friend a call instead, which would've been the wiser thing to do in the first place.

Meanwhile, a rather bored Echizen observed his senpai's neighbourhood impassively while sipping on a can of Ponta. A nudge on his hand made him look down inquisitively. He almost didn't notice the huge, fluffy white dog that crept beside him and stared up at him curiously.

_Must belong to one of senpai's neighbours. _The freshman thought as he gave the dog a pat. Satisfied, the white dog headed back to its owner's house. Echizen's careful eyes trailed after the dog and his 

lips cracked a smirk when he found it go inside the house next to his senpai's. _So it was his neighbour's. _He thought.

Curious, Echizen eye's wandered to his senpai's neighbour's letterbox for the house owner's name. He nearly choked on his drink after reading the encryption.

"Are?" The freshman mumbled.

"Hm? What is it, Echizen?" Momoshiro asked, following his junior's gaze. "WAHHHH!" His jaw fell to the ground when his eyes landed on the same thing that shocked his junior, his outburst grabbing his team mates' attentions.

"Hoi! No one's at home, I'm calling Fujiko now." Kikumaru declared as he approached his team mates, while dialling a number on his phone. When no one answered, he looked up and found all his team mates' mouths wide ajar, most of them had their eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"No way..." Chiharu and Oishi muttered as they looked at each other in shock.

"Nani nani?" He asked curiously while waiting for his phone call to be answered. His eyes followed where a shell-shocked Taka-san was pointing and saw it led to his friend's next door neighbour's letterbox. He went closer and read the name plate encrypted just on top of the mailbox.

"Ha-se-ga-wa..?" Kikumaru read slowly. It took his mind 10 whole seconds to process the information and hence end up the same state as his team mates.

"NYAAAAAA! HASEGAWA?! USOOOOOO!" He repeated incredulously. The redhead was too shocked that he hadn't noticed he dropped his phone on the ground just as someone answered his call.

"Hello?" A deep voice answered from the other line.

* * *

**Tokyo Food and Shopping District...**

"Odd..." said the brown haired boy as he looked at the screen of his phone. His redheaded friend had rung him and yet he heard no answer when he picked up. _Eiji must've called by accident. Better not waste his credit. _He assumed as he ended the call.

"Oi Fuji, I'm stuffed. Can we stop our food trip now?"

Fuji turned and saw his raven-haired companion with a pleading look, her hand patting her stomach.

Placing his phone in his pocket, the tensai smiled sadistically. "I did advise you not to eat too much." He riposted.

"I thought you were being stingy! How was I supposed to know we were going to 4 different restaurants!" Reiko complained, still rubbing her stomach. "Although I think you were ripped off. The dishes were all the same, they just changed the names." She added. The girl was stunned when she found that rather than getting upset, her companion instead cracked a mischievous grin.

"Saa... Why do you think they were similar?" Fuji asked, catching the girl off-guard.

"Eh? I dunno... Because you were ripped off?" Reiko wisecracked.

"Not exactly. I'll give you a hint. The four restaurants we ate at were Polish, Swedish, Danish and German."

At his hint, the bespectacled girl's face suddenly brightened. It seems her mental light bulb had finally switched on.

"Ah! I get it! It's because those countries were all invaded by Germany during World War two right? So it's likely those countries adopted some of Germany's cultures." She answered confidently.

"That's exactly right." Fuji nodded with a contented smile.

"Hehehehe! I'm awesome, ne?" The bespectacled girl grinned proudly while nudging her tutor's arm.

"You are quite the presumptuous one, ne?" The boy could only eye the raven-haired girl in amusement.

"So, where to now?" She asked and stopped her nudging.

"Saa... Now we get more serious." Replied the tennis prodigy and started searching his bag. "We're heading to Chiyoda ." He continued as he fished out two brochures from his bag and handed one to his companion.

Grabbing the brouchure, the raven-haired girl opened it and found a ticket inside. Taking the ticket out, the girl read the brochure's content. "Yasukuni Jinja..?" She read, clueless. Inside, she couldn't help but wonder when her history tutor got hold of the tickets.

"Hai. The Yasukuni Shrine was built dedicated to the spirits of soldiers and others who died for Japan. It's Symbolic Registry of Divinities contain over 2,466,000 names around 2,134,000 of these names were of those who served during the Second World War." Fuji stated while the raven-haired girl nodded in comprehension.

"Also, the Yasukuni Shrine owns a historic military and war museum, the Yushukan." Fuji stated while pointing to a photo on the girl's brochure. He paused when he saw the raven-haired girl raise her hand like a school child, which she technically is.

"Ah! Ah! So are we gonna see old weapons and stuff?" Reiko asked excitedly. Her eyes twinkled in delight when she saw her companion nod.

"Hai. The museum contains various artefacts and documents concerning Japanese war casualties and military activity from the start of the Meiji Restoration to the end of the Pacific War." Fuji stated. "You'll be seeing old fighter planes, weaponry and more." He added, exciting the girl even more.

"COOOOOOL!" The girl clapped while jumping up and down. "Chiyoda, yeah? Better hurry up then!" The girl teased as she practically ran to the direction of their destination.

"Ne, Hasegawa-san. Don't you think you'll be exhausted if you run all the way to the shrine?" Fuji asked teasingly as he walked after the girl. The two stopped at an intersection and waited for the pedestrian crossing to turn green, the latter jogging stationarily while waiting.

"Eh?" Reiko stared with a brow raised. Her face cracked a teasing grin when she heard the traffic light beeper ring (A/N: The siren thing they put in traffic lights/pedestrian crossings to signal blind people it's okay to cross). "You're too slow!" The bespectacled girl stuck out her tongue and pranced ahead, oblivious to the speeding vehicle that was headed her way.

BEEEEEEEP!

"REIKO!" Fuji yelled out.

The bespectacled girl slowly turned her head to the right after hearing the blaring car horn. Shocked, she remained standing stock-still on the road, while the incoming car fast approached.

She shut her eyes tightly as she braced herself for the collision. Rather than feeling the forceful blow of the accelerating vehicle, she felt a strong hand grip her right arm tightly and pull her back strongly. She felt her body become enveloped in an embrace. Everything happened so fast that the bespectacled girl was stuck in a stunned daze.

"Do I have to teach you how to cross the road as well?!" A deep, familiar voice that was unusually mixed with worry and frustration asked, snapping the girl out of her confounded state.

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up to receive yet another shock as her eyes met deep cerulean orbs that completely matched the tone of its owners voice. For a moment she was speechless as she became entranced in the intense pair of eyes that showed the clash of anger, concern and relief.

When her senses came knocking back in, the bespectacled girl finally spoke.

"You..?"

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Ahehehe... So how was it? I hope this chapter came as a shocker... Sort of... Anyway! Please don't forget to check out my doodles of my OC. Truth be told, I haven't drawn in nearly 8 years. When I saw most of my friend doodling during our double Maths period, I opted to do the same. So please be advised that not only do I lack the artistic ability, I also tried to finish the doodles while trying my best not to get caught! VV.. Hehe!

So if you wanna check it out, the link is on my profile page!

Now for some shout-outs!

**Rosie-chan**- Ahaha! Didn't you know this was a RyoSaku fic? Kidding! Honestly though, I myself am undecided on the pairing. The person I'm basing this fic on is taking too long to decide. Ahehehe...

**Charmane**- Yup. Fuji finds an excuse for everything, doesn't he?

**singer in the wind**- LOL. I'll be waiting. Thanks!

**vickibla**- I guess we've yet to see him use the toothpaste! Like Ayumi said, "One of them would have to be dead for that to happen!" Ahaha! Maa ne... We'll see what happens, ne?

**akayuki-rin**- I'd especially like to thank you for that wonderful review! It's quite rare for me to receive constructive criticism and I thank you for that. It made me want to try and improve this fic even by a bit. I actually went back on all the other chaps and corrected those romaji errors, which I wouldn't know about if you hadn't told me! About the cliff-hanger part, there was actually a reson I was holding up on the suspense. But I guess it's about time I started using them. I hope you liked this chapter, this is sort of dedicated to you since you inspired me to write this one better.

**invisible-gurl**- Fuji's always up to no good, ne? I guess we've yet to see how the pairing will turn out!

**Heart**- Ahaha... Wasabi toothpaste sounded like a good flavour at the time. Yes, an iceberg with feelings. The enormous possibilities. Ahahaha!

**unkown-player**- Sure? Ahaha! Good luck with algebra then.

**Otakugal**- Indeed... When WILL she find out? Hint Hint (grins)

**animeninja13**, **blacklightningwolf**, **dfisher 25**- Thanks sooo much! I hope you liked this one!

And to everyone who continue to follow and support this fic, Hontou ni arigatou! Till the next chapter!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Please and Thank You!  
**


	18. The Most Memorable Tutorial

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

"You..?"

For Fuji, it felt like eternity had passed as the bespectacled girl stared at him with her mouth wide agape. He felt his heart beat faster, every pound sounding like a drum being forcefully beaten that its sound was almost deafening, that it felt like his heart was on the verge of exploding.

_Has she... finally..?_

The usually calm and collected lad thought nervously. He felt himself gulp, yes gulp, subconsciously when he heard her clear her throat. Inside he couldn't understand why he felt so nervous. An array of different feelings battled inside him that the brown-haired lad felt like he was about to explode any second.

"KONO YAROU!" The raven-haired girl fumed.

The tennis prodigy's eyes slightly widened in surprise. _I guess it's only fair for her to be furious, I did leave without saying goodbye. I should at least give her an explanation. _He thought guiltily. The blue-eyed boy took a deep breath as he prepared to explain himself.

* * *

**Somewhere in the streets near Fuji's and Reiko's house...**

"NYA! I can't believe we failed again!" Kikumaru wailed in defeat as his team mates followed him, all in the same state.

"Mou! Now I'm really curious!" Momoshiro burst out as he pulled on his spiked up hair.

"Mind your own business, fool!" Kaidoh reprimanded.

"As if you didn't want to know as well, mamushi!" Momoshiro bit back. As the two juniors prepared to get into another brawl, a timely interruption prevented them from doing so.

"Ara! Isn't that Sakuno-chan?" Chiharu asked while pointing to a park not too far away.

"AHHH! Hideki is with her again!" Horio exclaimed in shock.

After spotting the girl with the long pig tails, and seeing that another boy about her age was indeed with her, the Seigaku tennis team then turned their heads to their super rookie in anticipation. Large sweat drops formed at the back of each one's heads when they saw the freshman sip on his Ponta nonchalantly.

"Oi, oi, Echizen! Aren't you at least going to do something? At this rate you'll lose obaa-san's granddaughter without a fight!" Momoshiro reprimanded while everyone nodded in agreement.

"If you're so worried, why don't you do something, senpai." The impudent freshman snapped back. He instantly felt himself flinch when he saw one of his female senpais stare down at him with a deadly gleam in her eyes.

"YOU INSOLENT BRAT! DON'T YOU KNOW GIRLS LIKE TO BE PURSUED?!" Ayumi fumed as she felt her blood boil. Rolling up her sleeves, she was about to beat some sense into the youngest regular's head when pairs of hands grabbed hold of her arms to restrain her.

"Maa maa! Ayumi-chan! Your blood pressure, your blood pressure!" Chiharu reminded while helping the others hold down the brunette.

"Kowai." Momoshiro, Kaidoh and Kikumaru muttered while struggling to pin down the raging girl.

"Takano-san is really sensitive about these things, ne?" Kawamura commented while Chiharu merely nodded.

"Ii data..." Inui cackled while taking out his trusty notebook. He was about to indulge in his favourite hobby when a heavy fist landed a forceful blow on his head, causing a steaming lump to form.

"Now's not the time for that!" Chiharu scolded the knocked out data-man. _Seriously, doesn't he know this is his fault?!_

"Ah... Calm down, minna..." Again, the peace-loving fukubuchou tried to allay. "More importantly, Sakuno-chan..." He cleverly reminded.

"Oh yeah!" Momoshiro blurted out as he remembered their mission.

"So, what do you plan to do, Ochibi?" Kikumaru probed.

"Nothing." Echizen replied casually.

"I guess it can't be helped then." A deep voice interrupted. Everyone had almost forgotten that the Varsity captain was present. For a person like her, she sure knew how to hide her presence well. The usually gentle lass had a deadly gleam in her eyes that made everyone shudder. Everyone watched as the towering girl put her bag down to retrieve a racket.

"Taka-san..." The gentle giant started.

"Don't tell me she's..." Oishi whispered.

"Hai?" The clueless Kawamura replied.

* * *

**Tokyo Food and Shopping District...**

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURT?!" Reiko seethed, her voice cracking slightly in annoyance.

"Gomen ne, Rei—"

"WHY'D YOU HAVE TO PULL SO HARD?!" The livid girl stormed while poking on the boy's chest.

The brown-haired lad could only stare at the infuriated girl blankly. _She still hasn't remembered?_

"Oh, don't you give me that look! GAHHH! You know you could've torn my tendon? Jeez! And I bruise easily too..." The raven-haired girl whined.

Fuji was speechless as he watched the girl massage her wrist in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Inside, he wasn't too sure if he felt relieved or disappointed. He couldn't deny himself the fact that a part of him wanted her to remember, but there was also another part that was glad she hadn't. He didn't want her to remember him just yet, not with the relationship they had right now. He wanted to gain her trust first, be her friend once more, before he told her, or before she could remember what they shared briefly in the past.

_I guess this is for the better. Strange how these things work themselves out._ He thought as he regained his usually cool and composed demeanour. Plastering his practiced smile, the tensai thought for something to say.

"Saa... I guess you are fine." Fuji said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean 'fine'?!" The girl asked incredulously. "I swear. You better expect a lawsuit if I find out I won't be playing badminton because this wrist is injured..." She threatened while still poking at the boy's chest. Fuji could only shrug his shoulders.

"Better your wrist than your whole body, don't you think?" Fuji asked rhetorically.

"Che... I could've handled myself! I didn't need your help." She snapped back stubbornly.

"Sou ka... So I guess freezing on the spot was part of dodging a speeding vehicle?" The tennis prodigy cracked a triumphant smirk.

"Teme... I DID NOT FREEZE! I was merely... taking the time to... think of what to do... Yeah, that's it!" Reiko lamely excused.

"Saa... I guess we better get that brain thinking faster, ne?" The tensai teased while patting the enraged girl on the head.

"Tem—" Reiko was just about ready to jump the one who had saved her from possible coma, or even death when...

"I'm glad you're okay." The boy's sadistic and mocking smile instantly turned into a satisfied and warm one, that it alone was enough to shut the bespectacled girl up.

"A-aa..." She muttered, feeling ashamed at herself. Here before her was the boy that not only helped salvage her sinking history grade but also saved her from her near death experience and yet all she's done so far was flare up at him and call him blasphemous names.

_Reiko you idiot! He just saved your life and what do you do? Blow up at him because you're too embarrassed to admit you were helpless. You really are stupid. _She scolded herself and found she could only stare down at her feet because she was too ashamed to face the boy that did nothing but help.

"Saa... If we don't hurry, the shrine might close." A gentle voice spoke, while Reiko remained unmoving. Sighing, "Ah... Don't worry, I can teach you how to cross the road on the way." Fuji reassured teasingly, taking the girl by surprise.

"Why..? Why aren't you mad at me?" Reiko stammered. Fuji could only tilt his head sideward and cast her a confused look. "Why do you have to be so goddamn nice? Doesn't your patience ever run out?!" The girl asked in frustration as she broke down into tears, finally letting all her emotions out.

What happened next stunned her even more, for the next moment, she found herself being enveloped into an embrace by the person she thought she'd despised. This time, his embrace felt different. It was gentle and its warmth came as a welcomed feeling and the raven-haired girl found it hard to resist. In his arms she broke down and cried.

"I was so... scared..." She admitted in between hysteric sobs while clutching onto him tighter, burying her face in his chest.

"Shhh... I know." She felt him rub her back gently as if to soothe her. The raven-haired girl felt herself calm down at each stroke.

Feeling his companion calm down, Fuji pulled away from the embrace.

"Saa... To Yasukuni?" The brown-haired boy stretched out his hand that held a blue and beige handkerchief.

Taking the handkerchief, the raven-haired girl removed her thick spectacles to dry her tears. Although her vision was blurry without her glasses, she knew there in front of her was Fuji's hand still outstretched for her to take.

"Ikuzo, Hasegawa-san."

Taking his hand without hesitation, "Un", the girl nodded.

"Fuji..."

"Hm?"

"Arigatou."

"Aa..."

The two walked together, hand-in-hand in comfortable silence. Neither spoke further for there was no more need for words, everything needed had already been spoken.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

The two were oblivious to the pair of eyes that watched them intently from afar. After training, his mother had asked him to drop by the grocery to purchase a few ingredients needed for that night's dinner. Being the obedient son that he was, Tezuka Kunimitsu followed without hesitation.

Stepping out of the store after completing his errand, Seigaku's stoic captain was about to head to Tokyo Train Station when his vision caught a glimpse of familiar raven hair and pale skin. With his trained eyes, the impassive boy was able to locate this person amidst the large crowd easily. He felt his grip on the plastic bags tighten when he saw her silhouette walking hand-in-hand with another familiar figure with brown hair.

"So it seems the rumours are true this time." The stoic boy muttered to himself monotonously as he turned and headed home.

* * *

**Some Park in Fuji's and Reiko' neighbourhood **

The impassive freshman felt himself gulp as he watched the towering varsity captain hand her tennis racquet to his clueless, timid senpai. Well, he wasn't timid for long.

"BURNIIIIIIING!! ECHIZEN! COME HERE!" A burning Taka-san loomed over the badgered freshman. Grabbing the shorter boy's collar, the burning Kawamura thrust the aloof freshman to where Sakuno and her cooperative learning partner were. "OOOORYAAA!" The next instant, Echizen found himself standing a few metres from the pig-tailed girl and her companion.

"Anou, Hideki-kun... I really have to be going now. I still have to help my grandma with a few errands." The timid girl tried to excuse abashedly.

"Mou, we'll only be a few more minutes, Sakuno-chan. Do you not enjoy my company?" The boy with spiked up hair asked while putting on his best puppy dog look.

"Anou..." The pigtailed girl fiddled with her fingers as she struggled to answer the boy's question.

"If she says she has somewhere to be, let her go." A deep, monotone voice interrupted. The two looked to where the voice had come from and found a half-bored looking Ryoma sipping on his can of Ponta.

"HOI! GREAT JOB OCHIBI!" Kikumaru cheered from a distance, causing the freshman to nearly fall over.

"WAY TO LOOK COOL, ECHIZEN!" Momoshiro hooted pumping his fist up in the air.

"ECHIZEN! YOU'RE IN THE SPRING TIME OF YOUTH! DO A GOOD JOB! GREATO!!" A raving Kawamura screamed in horrendous English while doing a "nice guy" pose, nearly making the freshman choke on his drink, topple over and lose his 'cool' image.

"Ii data..." Inui cackled.

"Let's go, Ryuzaki. Obaa-san is waiting." Echizen boldly grabbed hold of the awestruck girl's wrist and took her to where his team mates were without even giving her companion as much as a glance.

"Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno blushed furiously as she looked at the hand that held her wrist.

"Echizen..." Hideki muttered while cracking a smirk.

To her disappointment, the green-haired freshman instantly let go of the blushing girl's wrist as soon as they were a good distance from her 'captor'. The impassive freshman was greeted by his howling seniors and some clapping freshmen.

"Mada mada dane, senpais." The freshman smirked, earning himself hard slaps on the back.

* * *

**Yasukuni Shrine...**

"SUGEEEEEE!"

Fuji merely watched in amusement as a gaping Reiko circled a green fighter plane with starry eyes.

"Ne, Hasegawa-san, wouldn't you like to see the other interesting things?" Fuji asked casually as he attempted to get the raven-haired girl away from the plane.

"Hai hai!" The bespectacled girl enthused as she followed her history tutor around the museum. "Ano-sa, ano-sa..." Reiko badgered Naruto style. "Are we going to see old weapons as well?" The curious girl asked excitedly.

"Aa... You're quite enthusiastic, ne?" Fuji teased as he nodded his head and led the way to the second floor.

"I can't help it! I didn't think they fought with these things during World War 2. I just thought they rode horses and stabbed each other with swords!" The raven-haired girl replied as she looked around her surroundings animatedly.

"Ah... Another interesting thing about the Second World War was that it marked the evolution of warfare tactics." Fuji explained. Being the good student that she was, Reiko readily took out her history notebook and a pen to start jotting down what her tutor will tell her.

"During the Medieval era, cavalry and artillery were used quite often, just as you said. This changed during the Early modern era, where gunpowder was widely used in artillery and in making explosives. During this time, people started using cannons and muskets with bayonets." The tensai pointed to a shot-gun looking firearm with a blade attached to its rib before continuing.

"Trench warfare was a popular military tactic at the time, where both sides have fortified positions and static fighting lines." A Fuji in chibi form explained while pulling down a roll-up projector screen with a diagram of 'trench warfare' out of nowhere, the raven-haired girl, also in chibi form, nodding in comprehension.

"Then after came the Industrial Era, which is when World War 2 occurred. Technology played a large role in wars of this time. This era saw the rise of rifled breech-loading infantry weapons capable of massive amounts of fire, high-velocity breech-loading artillery, metal warships, submarines, aircraft, rockets and missiles, armoured warfare, and of course, nuclear weapons. This type of warfare was called 'Blitzkrieg', which is German for Lightning War and this tactic made trench warfare and linear warfare ineffective." He finished in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Ii data..." The raven-haired girl cackled maniacally as she jotted down everything her tutor had just relayed. Her award winning Inui impersonation caused her brown-haired tutor to chuckle heartily.

The two continued to go around the museum in this fashion, Fuji explaining the importance of each artefact, with the length and detail of his explanation varying with each piece's significance, while Reiko took down important notes diligently, occasionally taking photos of things she would find especially interesting. Within an hour, the two had finished touring the whole museum and Fuji had pretty much covered everything they needed to know for the coming history test, perhaps even more. The two headed outside the museum and to the cafeteria to have a well earned break.

"Congratulations, Hasegawa-san." Fuji commended as they picked a vacant table and sat down.

"Huh?" Reiko stared, dumbstruck.

"We've finished the entire unit." Fuji informed the seemingly clueless lass. Her blank facial expression instantly brightened as her mind processed what her history tutor had just said.

"YAHOO!! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! We're done, we're done..." The overjoyed girl did her 'victory dance' on her seat, which mainly comprised of bobbing her head back and forth while virtually doing 'The Running Man' while sitting down. She was too caught up in her routine that she failed to notice her routine had succeeded in gathering an audience, and that her companion had taken out his mobile phone and has been recording the whole scenario whilst pretending to be typing a message.

Upon realizing she had spectators, the raven-haired girl instantly stopped her little routine and sunk down her seat, using the menu to hide her face. Sneaking a peak, the girl recomposed herself as soon as she saw that her 'fans' have dispersed. Glancing discreetly at her history tutor, she found him trying to stifle a laugh as he watched something from his phone.

_He did not!! _Of course inside she knew better.

"Fuji tem—!" A waitress' timely arrival impeded the raven-haired girl from showering the brown-haired boy with another batch of colourfully made up words.

"I think this may come handy in the future, don't you think so Hasegawa-san?" Fuji teased as soon as the waitress left after having taken their orders. He flashed his mobile phone and played back the most recent video he had taken, a sadistic smile spreading across his lips as he saw the pale girl turn beet red.

"Fuji! You snot-brained, half-formed foetus look-alike! Deleeeeete it!" Reiko seethed.

"My my, that was quite original. Is that how you were taught to ask for favours?" The tensai continued to taunt, provoking the girl even more.

Knowing that there was nothing else she could do, Reiko took a deep sigh in resignation.

"Che... Whatever, see if I care." She huffed, crossing her arms and looking snootily away, her childish act humouring the tensai some more.

"Here you go, one cream anmitsu(1) and 3 hanami dangos(2). Enjoy!" The young waitress placed the dishes on the table.

"Arigatou." The two said in chorus.

"Ohohoho! Anytime, you just call on me if you need anything." The waitress said in a sweet tone, particularly to the brown-haired boy. Winking, the skanky—ahem—accommodating waitress took her leave. Reiko, who saw the whole ordeal, shuddered, while her companion remained oblivious.

"On another note, we still have a few more hours before the shrine closes. Would you like to go around the shrine some more or would you rather head home and get some rest?" Fuji asked, after downing a spoonful of his anmitsu.

"Are you kidding? Of course I wanna go around some more!" She eagerly replied while chewing on a dango.

Abruptly standing up and slamming her fists on the table, the tensai was slightly taken aback. "Yoshi! Ikuzo!" The raven-haired girl declared, her eyes gleaming in determination.

"Hai hai. I'll just settle the—!" Before he knew it, the bespectacled girl had already grabbed hold of his wrist and was dragging him out the cafe. Fishing his wallet with his free hand he had somehow managed to get a wad of cash out. Not bothering to count, Fuji crumpled the bills to make it compact and threw it accurately on their table with his superior tensai skills.

Seeing that her favourite customer's table was empty, the disheartened waitress came to collect the dishes.

With a damsel in distress pose, (i.e. the back of her hand on her forehead) the waitress whined, "He didn't even get to finish his anmitsu. And he didn't even get to say goodbye!"

Smoothing the scrunched up bundle of money, the waitress' eyes suddenly twinkled in delight upon seeing the amount left on the table. _He must've liked me too, considering the amount of his tip. _The waitress thought overjoyed as she placed the money in the till, rubbing her cheeks on every bill just before putting them away.

* * *

**Outside the Cafe...**

"Saa, where do you wish to go, Hasegawa-san?" The blue-eyed boy asked, stopping the lost girl in her tracks.

"Ahehehehe... I dunno, you tell me..." The raven-haired girl smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head.

"Saa... Since we just came from the north part of the shrine, why don't we go around south then come back north to the bus terminals? That way we may be able to see most of the shrine." Fuji suggested.

"Sounds good." Reiko merely shrugged her shoulders as they both headed down south.

Walking past the shrine's kaikan(3) and the Kaiko Bunko(4), the two's first stop was the Sumo ring, where currently a match was being held. Not favouring a particular wrestler, the two enjoyed watching the match from afar, letting the crowd cheer on their respective favourites instead.

"FUFUFUFUFUFU." Reiko snickered as she saw the rikishi(5) with the blue mawashi(6) knock down the rikishi with the red mawashi, causing her companion to raise his brows at her in question. The latter wasn't aware that his tutee's over active imagination had started portraying him as a 700-pound sumo-wrestler in a black mawashi, his opponent stepping on his round and robust belly as he lay down in defeat.

"Hehehehe! I think I've seen-hahaha-enough-hihihi!" She said between fits of hysteria, making the tensai even more curious.

Shrugging off the curious feeling, Fuji turned left to bring the girl to their next stop, the Shinchi Teien(7), not failing to introduce the three tea houses around it.

"WAHHHH!" The girl gaped in admiration as she took in the lush green environment. "LOOK! There's a waterfall!" The raven-haired girl exclaimed in delight.

"Quite breathtaking, ne? You can't help but feel like being in the mountains." Fuji commented. "The Shinchi Teien was created during the Meiji Era and was restored in 1999. It is said that the garden is one of the most celebrated and finest gardens in the country." Informed the tensai. He glanced over his companion and found himself more captivated by the innocence and look of amazement on her face than by the verdant and remarkable pond garden.

CLICK!

"Eh?" The bespectacled girl turned her head in surprise upon hearing the familiar click of a camera. She found the brown-haired lad occupied with reviewing the newly taken photo on his red Finepix.

"Oi..." Reiko started dryly.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." The brown-haired boy apologised as he handed his digital camera to the bespectacled girl so she could have a look.

"Hm? I know, I'm that pretty, ne?" The girl teased while viewing the photo, her free arm nudging the boy's elbow.

"You're quite the bold one, ne?" The tensai chuckled.

"Whatever, like it's not true." Reiko stuck her tongue out at the chuckling boy before walking away to approach an elderly man not too far away.

Fuji eyed the raven-haired girl curiously as she handed her mobile phone and his digital camera to the elder. After giving him a few instructions, Reiko quickly jogged back to where her companion was.

"I never liked solo photos." She declared while quickly turning and leaning on her partner's shoulder with a ready smile.

CLICK!

Realizing what was going on, Fuji quickly put his arm over the girl's shoulder and put on his million-dollar smile before the next photo could be taken.

"Smile!" The elder man declared as he took the next photo.

CLICK!

"Young lady, why don't you take off your glasses?" The elder man suggested.

Reiko nodded in agreement. "Ahahaha! That's a good idea." She said smiling sheepishly. She held her hand that formed the peace sign up and smiled properly for the camera before the next photo was taken.

CLICK! CLICK!

"Beautiful..." The elder man beamed proudly as he viewed the photos he had taken.

"Arigatou!" Fuji and Reiko chorused as they thanked the elder man.

"No worries. You two make a lovely couple." The elder man commented while handing the camera and the mobile phone back to Reiko, making the girl blush furiously and the boy chuckle nervously.

"Ah... We're not..." Reiko stammered.

"Oh?" The elder man looked at her in question, although his smile never faltered. "Better get a move on then, ne?" The stranger nudged the brown-haired boy's arm before taking his leave.

"H-hai." Fuji rubbed the back of his head uncharacteristically as he replied abashedly.

"Oh? What's this? THE Fuji Syuusuke is being bashful?" The bespectacled girl teased while giving him back his digital camera.

"He was an elder..." The brown-haired boy lamely excused, averting his gaze to his digital camera. He cracked a satisfied smile upon seeing the photos on the screen. _You really DO make a lovely couple, ne? _Mental Fuji badgered.

"Oi, Fuji. We really do make a good couple, ne?" The raven-haired girl's question took the tensai by surprise making him nearly trip on nothing. "BWAHAHAHAHA! Did you see your face?! For a moment I thought you were constipated!" Reiko taunted while making a mock impersonation of the brown-haired boy just a few moments ago.

"Hm... I wonder how much I'll make with these photos." Reiko thought out loud. "I'll probably make a fortune if I sell your number as well..." she said, casting the boy who had stopped in his tracks a devious look.

"Don't worry, I'll give you 10 percent commission!" She reassured while fanning her hand in the air. Her statement wasn't exactly the most comforting thing to hear.

Seeing the odd look her companion was giving her, the raven haired girl cracked up laughing yet again. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA! AGAIN! Fuji, I didn't know you were so gullible." She continued to goad.

"You enjoy this, ne?" Fuji said while shrugging his shoulders, not bothering to think of a comeback.

"Don't get all sensitive on me... It's not like I would actually sell your number to your fan-girls, your address maybe, but your number?" She continued to jeer while the tennis prodigy cracked a horrified look.

In his head, Fuji's active imagination popped a scenario of his home, the only place he wasn't seen as a piece of meat, being invaded by a swarm of rabid fan girls. Shuddering, he shook his head of the ridiculous thoughts.

_It's not like Hasegawa-san is the type to do such, right? _He thought. Then a cold sweat trickled down his spine as he remembered his run-in with the BDSM community, courtesy of Hasegawa Reiko.

"HAHAHAHAHA! THAT FACE IS PRICELESS!" Reiko snickered while viewing the photo she'd just taken on her camera phone. "Wait till the others see."

Inside, the brown-haired lad slapped himself for not being able to think of any good comebacks. He was confused at why he was so vulnerable around the raven-haired girl. He pondered at why he lowered his defences around her, why he didn't mind being the butt of the joke as long as it was she who was making fun of him.

"Wonder what those fan girls see in you?" Reiko asked with an appalled tone.

_Hasegawa Reiko, she's a special one, ne? _Again, the voice at the back of his head pestered. So far, Reiko was the only girl, apart from his sister and mother, who did not stutter nor swoon at his presence. Why was she not intimidated by his presence? It's not that he wanted her to be, but the fact that she wasn't was quite surprising. Surprising but refreshing. He never thought he would find someone he could be friends with that was of the opposite sex. _Hasegawa Reiko, you are truly interesting._

"Must be those eyes." The tennis prodigy snapped out of his thoughts as the raven-haired girl continued to ramble on the possible reasons her companion was popular with the female population. "Sou ka... That must be it." She snapped her fingers upon coming up with a possible hypothesis. Fuji could only tilt his head to the side in question.

"Ne, ne... Why would a person blessed with those beautiful blue eyes choose to hide it under a ridiculous smile?" Reiko asked offhandedly, oblivious to her companion's sudden unease.

"You're quite the frank one, ne?" Fuji commented in an attempt to change the topic.

"Ahahaha..." Now it was the girl's turn to chuckle nervously. "I'm just saying, if I were given great eyes, I would flaunt it."

"But you do. I actually wonder why you choose to hide them behind those spectacles. Why not use contact lenses?" Fuji asked while admitting his curiosity.

"Is that so? I never really thought about it. Who knows, maybe I will someday." Upon hearing her answer and noticing the distant gaze on the girl's face, Fuji figured it was a topic the girl did not want to talk about and so decided not to push further.

"Ara! Sugeeee!" Fuji's thoughts were interrupted by the girl's sudden mood change. He watched as she marvelled at the falling Sakura leaves. It seems their feet had subconsciously taken them to the Cherry Tree Garden. The two teens stood in the middle of the garden, both admiring the beauty of the Sakura Trees as it showered them with its beautiful pink blossoms.

Fuji checked his wrist watch and noticed it was nearly six in the evening. Turning to his companion, "Hasegawa-san, it's nearly 6. They're about to light the lanterns in the Haiden(8), would you like to go see it?" Fuji asked.

"Un!" Reiko nodded enthusiastically as she let Fuji lead the way.

They reached the main hall a few minutes before six o'clock and they found other tourists and visitors have gathered there as well.

"Only a few more seconds..." Fuji informed as he checked his watch again.

"Aa..." Reiko nodded while removing her glasses to give it a thorough cleaning. Just as she began wiping the thick pair of spectacles, the hundred or so lanterns suddenly came to life.

"WAH!" Reiko gaped as she refrained from cleaning her spectacles to look at the brightly lit lanterns.

The girl was too engrossed with her surroundings that she did not notice a wide eyed Fuji had been captured by her concealed beauty. The orange glow from the brightly lit lanterns illuminated the raven-haired girl's face, emphasizing her radiant features. Fuji subtly took out his camera from his pocket and took the photo that would forever be etched in his head. He cracked a satisfied smile as he viewed the photo that vividly captured the raven-haired girl's intense amber eyes, the glints of gold making her eyes look like they were really twinkling in delight.

Placing the camera back in his pocket, Fuji resumed to watching the bright lights and the cherry blossoms fall with a contented smile.

With his hands in his pockets, Fuji watched in amusement as the girl rambled on about everything she learned and saw that day. Despite being worn out from lack of sleep, the tensai's contented smile never seemed to falter as the two walked the familiar road home. The talkative girl stopped her rambling when she realized they had arrived at her residence.

"Oi smiley..." She started, causing her companion to raise a brow. "Thanks. I enjoyed the "field trip" despite it being educational." She said while air quoting the words field and trip.

"I'm glad you had fun." Fuji said while searching for something in his bag. "Ah, Here." Reiko's face brightened when her history tutor handed her a toy fighter plane that looked exactly like the one in the Yushukan(9).

"Souvenir." The tensai shrugged as he handed her the miniature plane.

"Thanks, you know you didn't have to. I swear I'll make it up to you somehow." Reiko rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she took his gift.

"Don't worry about it. Just think of it as a reward for working so hard." Fuji brushed off.

"You know all I did was to leech knowledge from you, right? So basically you did all the hard work while I'm the one being rewarded." She said dryly.

Fuji chuckled softly. "Saa... I better head in. Onee-san might be needing help with dinner. Good night, Hasegawa-san." The brown-haired boy bade.

"Thanks again, for all the help. I mean it when I say I'll repay you somehow. I hate feeling like a lousy freeloader so you can count on it." Reiko thanked again before the brown-haired boy left.

With his back turned around, "Saa... I'll look forward to it then. Know that you're always welcome. Ja." Fuji waved as he left the dumbstruck girl on her doorstep.

Straight after entering her house, the raven-haired girl heaved a deep sigh as she leaned on the door.

"YES! I'M DONE! I'M DONE! I DID IT! I DID IT! OH YEAH!"

And in the privacy of her own home, the girl was finally able to do a proper "Running Man", grabbing the attention of everybody in the house, her dog included.

"So I take it you had a fun day with Syuusuke-kun?" Mr. Hasegawa inquired as he watched his daughter dance for joy from the living room.

"HAI!" Reiko replied happily as she ran to her room excitedly.

* * *

**In Her Room...**

After a nice, relaxing bath, Reiko quickly jumped on her bed where her laptop and bag lay. She searched her bag for her mobile phone, stopping when something else caught her attention.

"Are?" Reiko took out a white paper bag from her bag and her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets after having inspected its contents. "AHHHH! I forgot to eat my Hanami Dangos! NOOOO! And we saw Sakura trees too! NOOOO!" Reiko was shattered as she held the two skewered sweets in front of her face.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Hm?" Reiko looked up from her dangos and saw a silhouette of a person outside her sliding window. "Fuji?" The bespectacled girl was slightly taken aback when she saw her unexpected visitor out on her balcony.

"I apologize for my intrusion." Fuji cracked a sadistic smile as he eyed her and the two sticks of multi-coloured dangos in her hand. "I forgot to give you this." He said while handing the dumbfounded girl a folded piece of paper.

"What's this? Another gift?" Reiko questioned.

"You can call it that." Fuji replied nonchalantly while trying hard to hide his sadistic smile.

"Hmm?" The raven-haired girl raised a brow. "Whatever... Oh! Do you mind sending me a copy of the pictures you took when we were in the shrine?" She inquired.

"Sure, no worries." The tensai replied casually. He was about to take his leave when—

"Wait!" Reiko called out. "Since you've been a good boy today... You can, have one." Reiko held out one stick of dangos and offered it to the slightly taken back Fuji.

"Arigatou. Well, I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome Good luck!" Fuji bid, putting the skewered treat in his mouth as he headed down his ladder and entered his room quickly.

_Good luck?_ The raven-haired girl thought, clueless. Deciding to shrug it off, Reiko headed back inside her room to get back to what she was about to do. She was walking to her bed when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Wait... Bra check?" Reiko told herself as she looked inside her shirt. "Good." She smiled triumphantly as she proceeded to walk to her bed.

"Now, where was I?" She asked herself as she plopped down her bed. "Ah that's right." She remembered. "Upload. Upload. Upload." She chanted while turning on the Bluetooth on her phone and on her laptop. Chewing on a dango, she waited for all the pictures taken that day to be transferred to her computer. While waiting, she suddenly remembered the piece of paper her history tutor handed her. Taking it out of her pocket, she unfolded the white piece of paper and read the bold text heading. Her eyes bulged out and she nearly choked to death as she read what was written on the paper.

**History Practice Test. Unit 1**

50 questions to be done in exam conditions.

Good Luck!

"FUJI... TEMEEEEE!" The raven-haired girl fumed.

* * *

**Fuji's Room...**

Fuji lay on his bed while laughing his heart out after hearing his neighbour's ear-piercing cry of despair. He laughed some more as he watched the recently uploaded video on his laptop.

_No, not yet... but soon._

Turning back to the bright computer screen, Seigaku's sadistic tensai felt his throat constrict as he stared at the last photo of the batch. He gazed at the somewhat ethereal face on the screen, absorbing every detail, from the face that was beautifully accentuated by the brightly lit lanterns, to the brilliant amber eyes that sparkled with innocence and blithe. The tennis prodigy subconsciously touched his unknowingly flustered cheek while his gentle blue eyes gazed longingly on the screen. Eventually, he found his hand slowly slip downward and rest on his chest, just to where his heart is. He closed his eyes, the image on the screen remnant in his head while a tender smile crept on his lips as he gladly welcomed the foreign feeling.

"What is this... warmth?"

* * *

XXXXXXXXXX

* * *

**Footnotes:**

_1.Animitsu_- is a Japanese dessert made of small cubes of agar jelly, a white translucent jelly made from red algae or seaweed that has been popular for many decades. _Cream anmitsu_ is a type of anmitsu served with ice cream.

_2.Dangos- _is a Japanese skewered dumpling made from _mochiko_ (rice flour), related to _mochi. __Hanami Dango_ is a type of dango made during Sakura-viewing season. It has three colours, namely pink, white and green.

_3.Kaikan- _assembly hall

_4.Kaiko Bunko_- hall for archives

_5.Rikishi_- sumo wrestler

_6.Mawashi_- is the belt that the sumo wrestler wears during training or in competition.

_7.Shinchi Teien_- one of Japan's finest sacred pond gardens found in the Yaskuni Shrine in Tokyo.

_8.Haiden__- _main hall

_9.Yushukan_- Japanese military and war museum located within Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda, Tokyo.

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys,

First of all, as much as I'd like to say "GOTCHA!", I know a lot of people were expecting something else from this chapter. I apologize, I know there are some (or a lot) who are disappointed in the turn of events, but all I can tell you is that 'everything happens for a greater purpose', it's simply just not the time yet.

Also, I wanted to tell you all that I'll be updating less frequently from now. Term break is over and I'm back to school on Monday, so I hope you understand! Hope you liked this chapter though. I might post another one next Saturday, the 19th of July, so if you can check back on that day, please do.

It's guaranteed that there will be another mind boggler on the next one, and much more on the following ones. Hehehe... If you read between the lines, this chapter has 2.

Btw... Did anyone notice the "Spring time of youth" thing is from Guy-sensei of Naruto? I so loooove him, he's funny. LOL! And he always provides comic relief even in a dead-serious situation!

Okaaaaay... now for shout-outs...

**Charmane- **Yes, this fic is very much based on a true person. A friend in a very similar, yet different situation, tried and tested pranks, only in this story, the pranks are heightened to a comical degree. In a sense this is a, err... fantastical... depiction of my close friend's life.

**White Alchemist Taiya- **No, sorry to disappoint. But still, he was there.

**akayuki-rin- **Thank you. Yeah, I did a bit of research. You've definitely boosted my confidence by 10 points! I apologize for the confusion, I should've written do'aho as do-aho to avoid that. "Do" is just a colloquial prefix for "total" or "absolute". The term is more commonly written as "do'aho" than "do-aho" and is used mainly to call people an idiot or an asshole, (sorry for the foul use of language) in the previous chapter it's used as the latter.

**invisible-gurl- **Yes, let's.

**riropin- **I appreciate the 'alert'.

**stratosphere, white alchemist taiya, otakugal, heart, **I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit of a let down. **animeninja13, moonlitelover, unknown-player, **thank you for the reviews!

**singer in the wind- **I was wondering if you've received any of my e-mails, because I haven't received any replies yet? Of course, my yahoo might be stuffing up. If you're busy, please tell me and I'll stop pestering you. I reall appreciate you taking up my beta-offer, but anytime you feel like it's a pain, please don't hesitate to tell me.

Alright! That's all folks! I hope you enjoyed!

**Thank you and please don't forget to review on your way out! (... If you can, I'd highly appreciate it!)**


	19. To Meet Japan's Finest

**Author's Note:**

Hope you like this chapter! Some weird thing came up and I saw that the chapter posted on was the draft version. How embarassing! I apologize for that! Anyway, I fixed it up, so everything should be easy to read now!

* * *

**Chapter 19**

To Meet Japan's Finest

* * *

**--Sunday Morning at the Hasegawa Residence--**

Amber eyes stared blankly at the plain white ceiling. Automatically stretching her hand out onto her bedside table, Reiko grabbed the digital alarm clock and brought it close to her face. 7:30, it read. She had been staring at her ceiling for nearly 40 minutes now. On Sunday mornings, the raven-haired girl would usually stir up around this time. Today, however, was different. She found herself awake before her alarm even went. Robotically, the raven-haired girl put her clock down and resumed to staring at the dull ceiling, as if waiting for a black hole to open up any minute. Placing her right arm over her forehead, she took a deep sigh as her mind automatically recalled snapshots of the previous night's dream, if you could call it that. Her 'dream' was merely another hazy recollection of a nearly forgotten childhood memory. She shut her eyes tightly as an image made its way into her head once again. In her mind, she stared into familiar deep blue orbs that stared tenderly back at her. She remembered attempting to look at the owner's face, but found it a hopeless cause as she felt she'd already been far too entranced by the mesmerizing cerulean eyes.

Finally coming to, Reiko sighed heavily once more before rising from her bed.

/I'll get fat if I continue to just lie here like a sloth._/ _The raven-haired girl thought while stretching her arms, yawning as she did. So far, that was the best distraction she had been able to come up with. She vigorously whisked her head side to side in an attempt to shake the persistent image out of her head.

/Lucky there's training today._/ _She thought once more. If there was one thing that took her mind off everything, it was being in a badminton court. Badminton took her to her own world, where all she saw was the feathered shuttlecock coming swiftly at her. All she could hear was the agitated squeaking of rubber soles on the green taraflex. All she could feel was the exhilaration after a successfully executed shot. She slapped her cheeks with both hands, a habit to pump herself up, before heading to her bathroom to get ready.

After washing her face, the raven-haired girl put on a familiar pair of thick black spectacles, she placed her fingers on the edge of her bathroom mirror that also served as the door to her medicine cabinet. She felt herself space out into her own world as her eyes settled on a metallic green box that sat desolately on the top shelf as she remembered the innocent suggestion her brown-haired history tutor proposed just the day before.

'Acuvue Disposable Corrective Contact Lenses', the bespectacled girl read the label again and again.

Taking a deep breath, she reached for the lonely box on the top shelf. Her finger lingered on the top corner of the box. Slowly, she lifted the box's lid and tilted it as it came to open, catching its contents with her left hand. Unclasping her hand, she stared at the white capsule that sat on the middle of her palm. She firmly gripped the capsule's lid with her right hand and languidly unscrewed the cap, revealing a lone, transparent concave shell that sat on the centre of the capsule, immersed in a clear liquid.

Wiping the wet droplet on the corner of her eye gently, Reiko headed down to the kitchen, leaving behind a familiar pair of black spectacles that customarily sat on the bridge of her nose.

A large slice of pancake topped with whipped cream and a slice of strawberry was on the verge of being devoured but found itself momentarily saved as its holder dropped the pointed piece of silverware that speared right through it. A loud clang resonated throughout the Hasegawa kitchen as it came in contact with the white Corel plate. Mr. Hasegawa's mouth hung open after seeing his daughter come into view. Mrs. Hasegawa, who was busily chopping luscious red strawberries, had also stopped what she was doing after hearing the clanging sound. Peering out the kitchen, she eyed her husband who currently wore a staggered expression. When she had traced his gaze, her eyes sightly widened when she saw her daughter who had just come down the stairs. Her blue Yonex racquet bag hung loosely on her small but sharp shoulders, like they usually did. She was wearing her favourite White Nike track suit on, the zipper on her warm-up jacket was not done fully up, like how she'd normally wear it. But amiss was the thick, black plastic pair of spectacles that characteristically hid her daughter's bright amber eyes that shined brightly as it stared back.

"Ohayou." Reiko was first to break the silence.

"Good morning, dear." The middle aged woman greeted her daughter, cracking a warm smile as she regained composure.

"You're not wearing your glasses today?" Mr. Hasegawa inquired, his stern eyes never leaving his daughter's pale face as she took her usual seat across him in the dining table.

"I decided to use the contacts today." Reiko replied casually as she reached for the plate of pancakes across her, an intense atmosphere quickly filling the atmosphere.

"I think it's a good change." came her mother's attempt to clear the air as she brought the plate of sliced fruit from the kitchen and set it on the dining table.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Hasegawa spoke again. "Are you sure?" The middle aged man asked.

"Well it's not like it's gonna make a difference, is it?" Reiko replied, almost a bit sharply. She did not bother sparing her parents a look as occupied herself with pouring syrup on her pancakes.

Mrs. Hasegawa had to nudge her husband's arm before he could gather his thoughts again. "Do you need a ride to training?" He inquired, trying to hide any trace of worry in his seemingly innocent question.

"Nah. I figured I'll jog." She turned down before devouring a slice of her food.

The two adults merely stared at each other, communicating silently before going back to their breakfast quietly.

**--**

Fuji wiped the sweat that was daring to trickle off his brow with the back of his hand. Finally he had rid his sister's chrysanthemum patch of its last wild flower. He'd been up since 6 in the morning, painstakingly taking out every single clover that dared invade his sister's garden. He resisted the urge to chuckle as he thought why all the men in their household were so vulnerable to women and then realized that he was practically THE only man in their house. His younger brother Yuuta seldom visited after he moved to St. Rudolph's, saying it was more convenient to lodge in the school 

dormitory. Of course, the older of the brothers knew better and was not at all convinced by the faux excuse. His father was always away on business trips overseas and, of course, was a different story altogether.

He felt his plastered smile slip a little as he remembered the question his neighbour had asked him yesterday.

_Why would a person blessed with those beautiful blue orbs choose to hide it under a ridiculous smile?_

He knew it was an innocent question and yet he couldn't help but feel slightly offended. Before he officially turned into a sulking, emotional wreck, the sound of a door being shut interrupted his train of thought.

Fuji turned his head to the direction of the sound and felt his lips tug upward as he saw an all-too-familiar figure come out of the house next door. Dusting his khaki shorts, the brown-haired lad stood up and subtly headed out to his neighbour's house. Smiling sadistically, the tennis prodigy had conjured yet another devious plot to send the girl screaming her lungs out that early in the morning. His excitement grew as he snuck closer and closer, that he hadn't noticed he was still holding the small sickle he used for gardening. Quietly, he placed his hand on the girl's sharp, bony shoulder and resisted the urge to cackle as he felt it tense.

"Ohayou, Hasegawa-san." Fuji greeted in a deep, maniacal, stalker-sounding voice.

"GYAAAAAAH!" The raven-haired girl screamed in terror, dropping her enormous racquet bag as she turned to face the deranged intruder.

Fuji felt himself stiffen as he was faced with intense amber eyes that flickered in fear. It was like a fierce clash of fire and water as his liquid azure orbs gazed intently into fiery amber ones. The brown-haired boy flinched as he saw fear vanish from the blazing set of eyes and had quickly been replaced with intense fury.

/That can't be good_._/ The tennis prodigy thought while poising himself.

Reiko balled up her fist tightly while her other hand rolled the long sleeve of her white jacket up. "FUJI TEMEEEEEE!"

With his quick reflexes, Fuji tilted his head to the side, barely missing the infuriated girl's powerful blow.

"That was a close one." The tennis prodigy exhaled while fanning himself with his hand.

"Che..." Reiko grumbled before stalking off to leave her highly amused and highly curious neighbour.

"I wonder where the glasses have gone?" Fuji asked as he effortlessly caught up with the still enraged girl.

"They're probably hiding up your sorry a—"

"I take it you didn't get enough sleep?" Fuji interjected, noticing his companion's grouchy behaviour, not that she wasn't normally that testy. In fact, her not being irascible would be more worrying.

"No duh?" She answered sardonically. "You're stupid test kept giving me nightmares. I'd remember a question every time I closed my eyes!" She whined in complaint, lying at the same time. Although it wasn't the reason she'd been up all night, Reiko shuddered at the memory of the hellish practice test her tutor had given her.

"Ah yes." Fuji was again smiling sadistically as he remembered the test he was proud to have made himself. "Were you able to finish it?" he asked, the innocent tone nearly making the girl regurgitate breakfast.

"Struggled to finish." Reiko corrected sourly, causing her brown haired companion to chuckle. "Anyway, would you stop following me?" she asked irritably.

Fuji put on an offended look before answering. "Whatever gave you the idea that I was following you? I was merely going for a walk myself." He excused nonchalantly.

"With a sickle?" Reiko asked wryly.

/She's gotten smarter./A voice at the back of his head said. Chucking the sickle onto a nearby bush, Fuji smiled and replied. "You never know when you might get ganged up on." Came his makeshift excuse. Reiko rolled her eyes. "Well, I honestly just felt a sudden urge to go for a walk. And tormenting you was just so tempting, so I might as well hit two birds with one stone, ne?" He replied heedlessly.

/He just openly admitted that he lives to torment me./ Reiko shuddered at the bluntness of her companion's response.

She shook her head to think of something clever to say. "Do you seriously want to leave the neighbourhood dressed like that?" She asked scornfully, eyeing him from head to toe. He was wearing a not too loosely fitted white t-shirt—which she wondered how he managed to miraculously keep dirt-free despite his weeding the garden—Its neckline and the lining on the bottom of the sleeves were a maroon shade, with the abstract, swirly printed lines in the middle of the shirt varying different shades of red to the same colour of maroon on the neckline. He wore khaki cargo shorts that looked slightly baggy from hanging close to an inch below his knees. His dark brown Haviana flip-flops complimented the entire casual attire nicely. Honestly, Fuji didn't look bad. Heck, since when did Fuji Syuusuke, Seigaku's tennis prodigy, ever look bad? He would've passed as an Asian, surf magazine—if they ever made one—model, advertising beach wear. She'd almost slapped her forehead for her lack of creativity, was this the best she could come up with?

"You didn't strike me as the superficial type." Fuji asked looking hurt. Of course, Reiko knew him too well to know it was a sham.

Realizing the jig was up, Fuji looked down to inspect what he was wearing, his brows raised in question as he asked "Is there anything wrong with the way I'm dressed?" Reiko could only grumble in defeat. She'd just been wrecked without Fuji even trying.

Sighing, she unzipped a side pocket on her racquet bag and took her iPod out. Plugging the ear phones in place, the deflated girl increased her pace into a jogging speed, completely ignoring her 

still wondering companion as the music blared. Of course, she would have to break into a mad dash to be able to lose her persistent companion.

Realizing how futile her efforts were, Reiko stopped her jog and broke into slower strides. She glanced sidewards and found the brown-haired boy was still walking along side her; he seemed to be engrossed in the game he was playing on his navy DS lite.

"Seriously, what's the point of doing all that when you're only going to play on your DS?" the raven-haired girl asked, masking the irritation of not being the centre of his attention anymore. "And who in their right mind carries their DS when they do some gardening?" She inquired incredulously while eyeing him crossly.

"I enjoy your company. And for your other question, I simply forgot to take it out of my pocket." Fuji replied nonchalantly, without so much as sparing his slightly staggered companion who was again taken aback by the candour of his response.

"What are you playing anyway?" she probed, attempting to shift the topic.

"What are you listening to?" he countered. Reiko smirked as she swapped gadgets with the brown-haired lad.

"When did you start playing?" Reiko inquired after having looked at the dual screen console which had Professor Layton and The Curious Village on Pause.

"Friday." Fuji replied casually as he went through the girl's iPod while currently listening to the song that was playing. "The Last Goodnight, not bad." Fuji complimented her contemporary yet sophisticated choice of music. He drummed his fingers on his hip as he listened to 'Stay Beautiful'.

"WOAH! And you're already up to the unlockables?!" Reiko was staggered as she looked at the screen once more, completely ignoring the latter part of the boy's statement. "Freak." She muttered before dejectedly giving Fuji the console back.

"I finished it before we left for Yasukuni yesterday. I started playing it again last night." He added, stopping the girl in her tracks.

"YOU FREAK! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!!" Reiko demanded.

"Sure." The brown-haired lad simply shrugged his shoulder as he took his DS, turned it off and placed it on one of the large pockets on his shorts. Taking the ear phones off his ears, he returned the black touch-screen iPod back to its owner.

"Hm? How ironic." Reiko smirked as she eyed the song Fuji was listening to. "Wherever you will go? The Calling?" A sly smile suddenly started playing on her pink lips.

"They're your songs." Fuji reasoned.

"Ah. But you picked this one." Reiko continued to jeer. Fuji adjusted his collar, like it would make his breathing any easier, making the raven-haired girl's smile stretch wider. "I'm kidding. You know you can tell me if you still wanna listen, we can share." She suggested, offering one ear phone to him.

Fuji gladly took what she offered and inched closer so as to prevent the ear phones from being pulled out as they walked. He had just secured the plug on his left ear as the song proceeded to the chorus.

_If I could, then I would_

_I'll go wherever you will go._

_Way up high, or down low,_

_I'll go wherever you will go..._

Reiko hummed along as the song proceeded to the second verse. Fuji sighed as he looked up and watched the fluffy white clouds dance in the sky while imagining how things might have been had the girl beside him remembered who he is and what they had.

_And maybe, I'll find out_

_A way to make it back someday  
_

_To watch you, to guard you, through the darkest of your days  
_

_If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all  
_

_Well then I hope there's someone out there  
_

_who can bring me back to you..._

Just before the song could proceed to the chorus again, the bespectacled girl cleared her throat and came to a halt. Fuji, who hadn't noticed her abrupt stop as he was busily staring at the clouds, kept walking until the ear phone tugged out of his ear.

"So this is my stop." Reiko informed as she pointed to a familiar stadium on her right. "TSAC." She said flatly. "I would invite you to stay and watch but I know you hav—"

"Since you asked nicely, I accept." Fuji cut off smiling smugly.

"What?!" She scoffed.

"Well, I have always been curious of how good a badminton player you are. I've heard from a reliable source (cough, Inui, cough cough) that you are nationally ranked 3rd in the 18 and under age bracket. And since you've been so kind as to invite me, I know better than to turn you down such a gracious offer." Fuji stated, eyes closed and smile, annoyingly, triumphant.

"BUT-!" Reiko protested.

"Saa... What time does your training start?" Fuji asked, trying to divert her attention.

"9:00 why?" Reiko asked, proving she had the attention span of a rock.

"Then you're 2 minutes late." Fuji informed after having checked his watch.

"WHAT?!" Reiko's pupils dilated in shock as she realized what lay ahead if she continued to clown around. "Why didn't you say so?!" She groaned as she quickly zoomed past the sliding doors and 

headed straight to her doom. Fuji watched with an amused grin, obviously pleased with himself and his good work.

**--Inside--**

It didn't take a genius to figure out where the raven-haired girl had gone. All Fuji had to do was follow the voice that, quite audibly, screamed "HASEGAWA REIKO, GIVE ME 50 SQUAT JUMPS, NOW!" in accented Japanese.

The tennis prodigy had arrived just in time to see a flushed Reiko, embarrassedly scratching the back of her head as a short, lean man in his 50s roared at her, 7 or so teens of both genders, he presumed to be her team mates, snickered surreptitiously.

Fuji entered the badminton hall and walked to the bleacher where the raven-haired girl had placed her bag and took a seat, causing heads to turn in his direction.

"Excuse me young man, but this is a closed training for national junior squad members." The middle-aged man who previously bellowed at his mortified companion informed with a scrutinizing stare.

"It's okay Rexy-sensei. He's with me." Reiko yelled out from the end of the neighbouring court as she proceeded to do her punishment.

"Eh? Reiko-chan with a boy? My, my, I never thought I'd live to see the day our precious Rei would finally shed her tomboyish shell and turn into a fully-fledged lady." The elder man broke into tears, emphasizing his attachment to the youngest member of the team, causing the subject of his, proclamation, cringe in horror, and seven teen agers erupt in laughter. Clearing his throat, the coach prepared to yell again. "You lazy bludgers! Get back to work!" He reprimanded after having realized his slothful of a team had started slacking off.

"I'm Fuji Syuusuke, it's a pleasure to meet you sir." Fuji introduced while holding his right hand out for a shake. He mentally chuckled at the elder man's random mood shifts. Now he knew where the raven-haired girl got it from.

"Ah. Rexy Lee, head coach of the national junior squad." The elder man curtly introduced himself as he shook the outstretched hand. "Hm? That's quite a firm grip there, son. Do you play?" The coach asked, noticing his strong grip and lean figure.

"Tennis." Fuji replied offhandedly, flinching as he noticed the middle-aged man's right eye twitch. Soft thuds followed as several badminton racquets were dropped on the green rubber mat, the white feathered birds suddenly stopped flying in the air and abruptly landed on the ground. Fuji averted his gaze and found 7 shell-shocked teens gaping at him upon hearing his innocent response.

"Uh-oh..."Reiko baulked as she completed her assigned set of squat jumps and dashed to her oblivious companion.

"Fuji... The "tennis" is taboo around Rexy-sensei." Reiko explained in a hushed tone, a tad late to be a warning.

"I'm guessing it's not the best time to ask why?" Fuji asked in a whisper, not really expecting an answer as he nervously watched steam escape the outraged coach's ears. He quickly racked his brain for a way out of his pickle. It didn't take long for his mental light bulb to switch on when his brain settled on a plan.

"Of course, tennis is nowhere near as fast... and as furious as badminton." He deliberated, hopeful that the seething badminton coach wouldn't call his bluff. He resisted the urge to sigh in relief as he saw the incensed man's anger quell. "What was the fastest ever recorded? 320? 330 kilometres per hour?" He mused just to distract him further.

"Three hundred thirty-two kilometres per hour." The middle-aged man corrected without any trace of having come close to spontaneously combusting.

"I stand corrected." Fuji fallaciously surrendered while the elder coach smiled smugly. Everyone was finally able to breathe after that. Of course, their sighs of relief didn't go unnoticed.

"You lazy bunch of slugs! Get back to work!" He barked at his team once more before turning to the brown-haired boy once again. "Hmph. You are the first tennis player to have acknowledged that fact. Fuji Syuusuke, you are an exception." He stated, shaking the said boy's right hand—that unknowingly remained outstretched for he was far too petrified to move.

"I think he likes you?" Reiko whispered unsurely as soon as the head coach went back to unleashing his wrath upon his 'slacking' trainees. "Nice save, by the way." She commended, raising her hand up, palm facing her companion for a hi-five he willingly answered.

"Why is "tennis" a forbidden word around him?" Fuji asked inquisitively, his voice barely audible for others to hear so as to prevent another display of temper by the seemingly perceptive badminton coach.

"Well... there are a number of reasons." Reiko began. "One of them is because of the fact that professional tennis players are rewarded nearly twenty times more in one tournament than what a professional badminton player could ever get in their entire 'competing lifetime'. TO HIM it seemed unfair that you guys get more when badminton is clearly a faster, more exciting game." She explained, clearly emphasizing the concept was only of her coach's and not her. After having joined Varsity, Seigaku's female, not to mention marginally outnumbered, version of the Regulars, Reiko had developed a new perspective, and with that a new respect, for tennis. She had come to the conclusion that each of the sports she played provided her with a different kind of adrenaline rush, only the high she gets from badminton slightly outweighs the exhilaration she feels when playing tennis.

"You said 'one', so there's more?" He pressed.

"And you know... There's no denying that there are some tennis players out there who look down on badminton because tennis has a better audience reception. It's just by sheer coincidence that all tennis players coach Rexy comes across are, unfortunately, airheads." She explicated, sounding bored. "There's that... and then there's me..." Instantly, Fuji's head snapped up and his expression quickly turned into a befuddled one upon hearing her last sentence. This didn't go without notice and the amber-eyed girl decided to meet the bullet before the gun was even fired.

"I'm sure you can already tell, I'm quite the coach's favourite out of everybody here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not proud nor boastful about it, it's not something I go around telling people about, but it's quite apparent and I'm not one to play dumb either. Maybe because he was the one who first discovered my talent, I don't know, but I don't go sucking up to him just to win his favour." She started, staring distantly into her coach's direction.

"He's watched me grow, and it's natural for him to feel a sense of pride in me, like a parent would, for having come this far. But you know, being favourite isn't always compliments and special attention. Being the centre of his attention also means my flaws are more often exposed. It means I'm more thoroughly punished than the others, be it for not concentrating during drills or for more trivial things like being merely a few seconds late to training. I don't resent him for that, they make me a better player. Anyway, I'm sure that, like any other parent, he hates having to punish me for such things. But since I joined the tennis team things became a lot more hectic, and I was missing training a lot, and of course, he's had to make me compensate for that. Alongside that, he's worried that it'll ruin everything I, no, we've worked for, not just technique-wise, but the passion I hold for the sport itself. So—"

"In a way, tennis is making him do something he hates. And also, the possibility that one day it'll lure you to lose interest in badminton vexes him." Fuji asserted. Reiko could only nod. For a while, the two were staring off into empty space, seemingly in deep thought as a pregnant silence followed.

"Alright! Everyone, 2 minutes!" A loud voice boomed, dragging the two out of their own worlds and causing a ragged bunch of male and female teenagers sing 'Hallelujah'.

"REIKO-CHAN!"

Instantly, the tennis-prodigy and the short-fused girl found 7 older, nosy, teenagers staring quizzically at them. In the next scene that followed, Reiko was being glomped by an overly-excited pigtailed girl, and was at the receiving end of hard backslaps and endless lectures.

"Where have you been?"

"You were supposed to be back two weeks ago weren't you?"

"So did you decide to betray us and play tennis instead."

"WAI! You're back! You're back!"

Everyone fired away at the same time that it made all questions and statements incoherent.

"GYAH! Ma-ri-ko-sen-pai... I... can't... breathe..." Reiko wheezed, abruptly stopping the garbled chatter around her. Her face had turned blue from the lack of oxygen and the bone crushing embrace.

"WAAAAH!" The pig-tailed girl immediately let go, but not without screaming in horror after seeing Reiko nearly suffocate to death.

"Gomen! I guess I was a bit excited about you coming back!" The bouncy girl apologised. Fuji resisted the urge to chuckle as he watched the pig-tailed girl fuss about the raven-haired girl from his seat. The scene instantly reminded of his redheaded friend.

"I think you mean OVER-excited, Mari-chan." A masculine voice interrupted, reigning on the two girls' reunion.

"Hisashiburi ne, Shoji-senpai." Reiko smiled sweetly, slapping the boy's hand that was raised for a hi-five.

Fuji eyed the towering boy from head to toe closely. He was tall, standing at about 180 cm and had a tanned complexion. His hair was thinned hair and soft gelled into a 'Faux Hawk', the tips dyed with an auburn red colour. He wasn't too built nor was he lanky. He was lean and Fuji could tell he was all muscle and no fat. He roughly estimated him to be about 16 or 17 years old. Again, it didn't take a genius to figure this Shoji fellow was popular with the ladies, but despite this realization, the tennis prodigy did not feel the need to be alarmed. Wait, why would he be alarmed?

"Anta dare?" A deep, monotone new voice crudely interrupted. Fuji turned and found it belonged to a boy slightly shorter than the one he had just examined. He stood at about the same height as Tezuka. He had short, layered shaggy hair that was a mixture of bleached blond and black colour, his sideburns ran just below the ears. He estimated him to be about the same age or 16. Fuji assumed he was of a mixed background after noticing some obvious western features such as his more prominently hooked and narrow nose and 'Caucasian-white' skin.

/Safe to say badminton has its fair share of good looking people/Fuji mentally noted. Snapping out of his thoughts, the tennis prodigy noted that everyone was eyeing him curiously now, all except a bored looking Reiko and their badminton coach who was preoccupied with arranging shuttlecocks.

"Oh, THAT is a Fuji." Reiko uncouthly introduced her brown-haired companion to Japan's finest junior badminton players.

The pigtailed girl's mouth formed an 'O' while nodding. "Wait, what's a 'Fuji'?" she asked, causing all her teammates to sweat drop.

CLONK!

The raven-haired and pigtailed girls saw stars circling above their heads as they felt a heavy fist knock some sense into their, now both physically and mentally, damaged heads.

"Yui-senpai! What was that for?"

"Yui-chan! What was that for?"

The two girls whined in chorus.

"That was for being an insolent brat." The girl with curly black hair streaked with blue at the bottom said to Reiko. "And that was for being... you." She finished, now facing the pigtailed girl. As the two were mortified, everyone snickered while Fuji continued to watch in amusement.

"Forgive them. Their manners still needs formatting." The girl with the blue streaks apologised. Fuji merely raised his two hands, as if to indicate it was not big deal. The girl glared icily at Reiko, which caused her to flinch and heavily suck some air.

"Fiiiine... Everyone, this is Fuji. Fuji, this is everyone." Reiko acquainted them begrudgingly, earning herself an extra serving of head slaps.

"Ne, ne? Since when did you get a boyfriend Rei?" The tanned boy, Shoji, prodded, making the amber-eyed girl choke on her saliva.

"I think the better question to ask is: Since when were you a girl?" A burly boy with a buzz cut interjected. He instantly found himself, despite the significant size difference, airborne as the ill-tempered Reiko delivered a full-blown uppercut.

"THAT" she said disgusted, while pointing a finger accusingly at Fuji. "Is. Not. My. Boyfriend." She finished, glowering at her senpais.

In his head, Fuji was wondering what he'd done to get on the girl's nerves once again. /Was it the practice test? Or was it because I scared her?/ He thought, not feeling the least bit of regret after he'd ruined the 'civil' relationship they were starting to have. /Way to go genius, you just killed the seed before it even sprouted!/A reprimanding voice at the back of his head lectured. /I guess I'll just have to make it up to her._/ _He told the voice casually.

"Sheeeeesh... You don't have to be so touchy about it." The same tanned boy who had come up with the "boyfriend" question whinged.

"I'm too good to be introduced as 'everyone'!" A whiny voice spoke up from the mob, interrupting. "Introduce me properly!" The voice demanded as it got closer. Reiko felt a vein pop on her forehead at the distinct squeaky voice.

Fuji found himself slightly astounded as the owner of the high-pitched voice emerged from the crowd. A girl with greenish-black hair, much like Echizen's, revealed herself. Everything about her was absolutely striking. Her bright emerald eyes were accentuated by her ponytailed hair, a few lose strands were left out of the scrunchie to project her pointed facial features. She gracefully approached him with an 'ever-so-sweet' smile on her face. Fuji felt his breath get caught in his throat as she stood so close to him.

"Another victim." The Shoji boy murmured to another boy with slightly long layered hair that had bright orange tips.

"Hello! I'm Okuda Karin, and you are?" If it weren't for his plastered smile, Fuji's stupefied state would've so easily been exposed for he could only watch as an ear-splitting noise—voice—escaped the emerald-eyed girl's lips.

/She would've been perfect if she didn't open her mouth_./ _A voice at the back of his head ridiculed after hearing fan-girl-ish voice. Their close proximity didn't help his deafened eardrums either.

"Fuji Syuusuke. It's a pleasure to meet you, Okuda-san." Fuji held out his hand after breaking from his bemused state. _No it's not. _The pesky voice inside his head spoke again, sniggering this time. 

/Now, now, there's no point in being rude. At least she doesn't go to the same school/He reassured himself.

"Ohohoho!" The girl giggled. "'Karin-chan' is fine." She corrected rather flirtatiously.

"Ne, Karin's at it again." The pigtailed girl, Mariko, whispered to Reiko. Reiko only made a gagging sound as she watched the sickening display. Almost immediately, the disgusted look in the raven-haired girl's face was replaced with dread. She felt her palms sweat as she struggled to find a way to break the two's physical contact.

"Ahahahaha! That's quite a very long handshake, don't you think?" Reiko asked dubiously, earning herself odd looks from her friends. She found herself able to breathe when Fuji and Korin broke the handshake. /God knows what'll happen to me if those two tag-teamed to gang up on me!/

"What's with her?" Mariko asked Yui. The latter only rolled her eyes at the former's lack of common sense. All eyes were on Reiko as everything lapsed into silence.

"Reiko, they left this for you." The monotone voice of the boy with the dirty blond hair broke the silence. He was holding up a long, grey, plastic sack that had 'Yonex' written on it. "Sponsors..." He limply added.

Reiko felt herself blush as she accepted the parcel from the apparently dispassionate boy. "Thanks, Nicholas." Of course, the tennis prodigy was mindful of this and told himself to be wary of this Nicholas person.

"Whatever." The aloof boy deadpanned.

/Or not/Fuji thought.

"I said two minutes, you bellyaching maggots! 16 shuttles!" The booming voice of the displeased badminton coach declared, making the 8 teens cringe in horror. "Three times through, TIMED!" The elder man emphasized, making everyone stiffen and turn pale, even the impassive Nicholas.

"Prepare to give me 50 push ups if you're all not in courts after 10 seconds... 9... 8..." The sadistic coach started to count down, making the 8 teens scramble to their feet. The 8 occupied two courts, with two players standing on each end. On the court, there were 16 shuttles planted altogether. Four on either side of the front of the court, and four on either side of the middle court. One player stood off the court with a stopwatch, obviously the timers, while the other one stood in the centre of the court, appearing to be in a ready position, clearly the workers. Currently, Reiko was off, while the pigtailed girl Mariko stood on the court. On the opposite end, the boy with the mixed ethnicity, Nicholas, was off while the girl with the blue streaks, Yui was on. The same pattern was noted on the other courts, Shoji off, the boy with the orange tips on. On the opposite end, Karin was on and the burly boy was off.

"Alright people, you know what to do. Time to beat, 19.8 seconds!" Rexy-sensei declared. Heads and glaring eyes turned discreetly at Reiko, who buried her face inside her shirt, as if she was responsible for everyone's misery.

"GO!" The elder coach signalled, and soon the workers were moving agilely on the courts. Fuji watched in mild awe as he watched the workers swiftly move from one side of the front court then crosscourt to the middle court, tipping a planted shuttlecock each time. He noticed the footwork pattern while the rubber soles squeaked from all the pivoting and shifting of movements.

"19.73!" The burly boy with the buzz cut declared in his deep bass voice as the emerald-eyed girl finished first among her batch. Although she was panting to catch her breath, she managed to flash a smug smile to a Reiko who wasn't paying her any attention. Clearly it was 'unrequited rivalry'.

"19.83!"

"19.92!"

"20.01!"

The other timers soon declared as their respective workers finished their set. Rexy-sensei whistled upon hearing the closeness of each recorded time.

"Good work Karin." He commended the self-satisfied girl. "Alright, time to beat is 19.73! Get ready!" He declared as the players who were off now stood in the middle of the courts. Fuji kept his eyes intently on the raven-haired girl who kept her right foot slightly forward as she waited for the 'go' signal.

"GO!"

And immediately everyone launched themselves into the same routine. Fuji nearly gaped as he watched his partner nimbly tip one shuttle at a time.

Soon, without him noticing, his eyes were glued onto her court. It was not that he purposely wanted to watch only her, but her movements made her stand out from the rest and impossible to ignore. He felt his breath get caught in his throat as he watched with high regard at how gracefully she lunged forward every time to tip a shuttle, and how effortlessly she hovered afterwards. Thuds could be heard from everyone else's courts as they planted their racquet feet forward for a lunge, but not on her court. All that was audible on Reiko's end of the court were the light squeaking of her shoes against the rubber mat as she pivoted front and back and side to side. Perhaps the fact that she was the only girl in their batch contributed to this, he wasn't sure. Everything seemed to be slower as Fuji continued to closely observe the raven-haired girl. Had his mind gone wandering, he would've been caught gawking at how fluid her movements were, the natural spring in each of her lithe steps made her look like she was dancing, rather than running. It didn't help that Fuji also noticed how she managed to keep a satisfied smile on her face despite moving ceaselessly from end to end. He noted the silent air of confidence around her, how poised her features remained and how her eyes burned determinedly despite being tirelessly worked around the court. Again he felt that strange heat emanate from inside him and he struggled to restrain himself from gripping his ears just to see how warm they'd become.

"18.97 seconds!" Two voices chorused from Reiko's court. Fuji snapped out of his trance to find a panting Reiko and a flushed Nicholas from either end of their court. It appears they'd both finished and broken the new record at the same time. So the real rivalry was this.

"Hmph." He heard Karin scoff upon learning her record had been broken by her self-proclaimed rival.

"Great work Rei, Nick!" The coach beamed before telling everyone to continue with the drill. "Alright, 18.97... Go!" He proclaimed.

And the same routine followed. Karin broke the newly set record by Reiko and Nicholas, only to find her face fall as the two broke her new record once more. During the second round, the detached boy set the new record, beating the amber eyed girl by mere hundredths of seconds. Fuji noticed how there was no reaction from him at all, no smug smiles or haughty eyes, and Reiko didn't seem bothered about being beaten at all.

"All right, last one for this group. Time to beat is 18.56!" The badminton coach announced. "GO!"

And again the first group sprinted off. No one in that group seemed capable of beating the newly set record as the shortest time recorded turned out to be 18.90 seconds courtesy of the towering tanned boy named Shoji.

"No!" The emerald-eyed girl shrieked in frustration after learning she wasn't even able to top her batch. Annoyed, she begrudgingly stomped off to where her things were and gulped down nearly half a litre of water. Talk about spoiled sport.

"Thanks Karin." The coach said dryly. It seems everyone was used to her tantrums and foul behaviour. "Alright last one. Still 18.56! Go!"

Everyone's eyes were on Reiko's and Nicholas' court as they battled it out one final time. The 6 teens were nearly awestruck by how much the two managed to increase their pace despite having already gone twice. It was like they were more fuelled up than burned out as everyone could see another record was no doubt going to be broken.

"16.27!"

Everyone heard a shaky, feminine voice declared. They already knew who the victor was as the dispassionate boy was still 2 shuttles away from finishing. Everyone gawked, save for Karin who turned red with either envy or anger, or both, as they watched a breathless Reiko, a hand on her chest, keeping herself up by leaning on the umpire's chair, gasping heavily for air. It didn't matter that she had just set the new record, again. It was her more than 2 second improvement that stunned everyone speechless. It wasn't long until the loud cahoots and a round of applause followed. Fuji then eyed the fuming, emerald-eyed girl and wondered if she'd be less infuriated if Nicholas was heralded winner. The impassive boy merely slapped his knee when he finished, and that was about all he did to show his frustration. He didn't seem too bothered about having lost, and even congratulated the raven-haired girl for her success.

"Splendid job, Rei." The elder coach praised as he gave the raven-haired girl a pat on the back. "Alright, everyone take a water break!" He instructed and everyone gladly obeyed.

Fuji instantly grabbed a towel as his partner headed his direction.

"Thanks." She mustered as she accepted the white towel and wiped her perspiring face with it.

"Great effort out there." Fuji complimented, mentally slapping himself for the poorly made up accolade. /Great effort? That's the best the tensai of Seigaku can come up with?/ The voice in his head pestered again.

Reiko eyed him oddly before thanking him for the compliment once more. Devious pairs of eyes watched their youngest (Reiko) member 'interact' with her rather good looking companion from afar.

"They grow up so fast." The pigtailed girl commented with tears in her eyes. "And I mean really fast. Didn't Rei act like she hated the guy a while ago?" Suddenly her teary-eyed expression turned into a sceptical one. Her peers merely ignored her as they continued to spy.

Reiko started to feel the weighty stares from her team mates and quickly turned around to find them stalking her like she was prey. Her seniors nearly fell on their face as amber-eyed girl waved at them and motioned them to come.

"Oi, Fuji... I'll introduce you to my team mates so you better behave." She hissed under her breath, Fuji almost chuckled in amusement.

"Alright everyone. This is Fuji Syuusuke, he goes to my school. We're in the tennis team together." She said as her team mates reached them. "I'll introduce you all by age." She told them.

"Fuji, this is Ansei-senpai." Reiko pointed to the burly boy with the buzz cut. "He's turning 18 by the end of the year?" She informed unsurely. The brawny boy nodded and stretched his hand out.

"Sup man?" He greeted in his husky bass voice. The tennis prodigy firmly shook the beefy boy's hand before Reiko proceeded with the introductions.

"He's ranked 4th across Japan in the junior circuit and he's trying out for the national squad next year." She informed. Fuji nodded in comprehension. "That's Yui-senpai. She's the same age as Ansei-senpai. She's only THE top ranked girls' singles player in the junior circuit." Reiko bragged, proud to be on the same team as the number one female player in their age pool.

"I'm afraid I might be handing that title to you soon, if you keep improving like this." The girl with the blue streaked hair flattered. "Pleased to meet you, Fuji-kun." And again the customary hand-shake followed.

"The childish, pigtailed one is Mariko-senpai. She's also turning 18. She's ranked 7th in the country, 18 years and under as you should know by now." The pigtailed girl nearly bounded on the unsuspecting Fuji in her excitement.

"WAAAAI! Reiko you cheat! How come you get a cute boyfriend?" The pigtailed girl whined, making both Fuji and Reiko choke on nothing.

"HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Reiko snapped again, making everyone back off.

"The tall one with the Faux Hawk is Shoji-senpai, he's 17, number 3 in the guy's circuit. The one with the ridiculous orange highlights is Ryoutaro-senpai, 16, ranked number 6." Fuji noticed Reiko was quickly skimming through the introductions, still upset about the "boyfriend" question. "You already know HER." Reiko said dryly after pointing to the emerald-eyed girl who could only cough out an irritated 'hey!'

"She's 15 and ranked 4th in singles, the slot behind mine." Reiko deliberately added to anger her some more.

"And this..." Reiko stopped at the detached boy with the shaggy, dirty blond hair. He seemed like he couldn't care less. "Is Nicholas Petroni, my mixed partner. Ranked number 1 in singles, doubles and, of course, mixed. His dad is Italian, mom is Japanese but he's been living here half his life. 15 years old and goes to Wesley International School." She finished with a little unnecessary information that caused the tennis prodigy to feel more wary. The impassive boy merely acknowledged Fuji with a nod before heading back to the other bleacher.

Reiko discreetly left the crowd and grabbed her water bottle from her bag as soon as her team mates started fussing about the tennis prodigy. She nearly slapped herself when she saw her black translucent water bottle empty. She'd forgotten to fill it up before she left home. Turning to Fuji, she excused herself. "Hey Fuji, I'm just gonna go fill up my water bottle. Go mingle." She told him hastily. "And please don't do anything that'll creep them out and get me kicked out of the team." She pleaded before heading out the badminton hall without waiting for his response.

**--Outside the Badminton Hall--**

Reiko quickly dashed to the nearest water station, afraid to spend the rest of the session doing sit ups, push ups and what-nots if she were even a few seconds late to the allotted break time. She was too busy imagining what horrendous physical torture she'd have to go through if she were any second tardy that she didn't notice she was advancing for a head-on collision with someone by the drinking fountain.

OOOOF!

It felt like she'd knocked into a brick wall as she found herself falling flat on her bottom.

"Gomenasai! I wasn't looking at where I was going." She started to apologize, pausing to take the outstretched hand that offered to prop her up. She was startled to find an all too-familiar face staring down at her unnervingly as she apologised.

"Tezuka-san?" She asked. Unsure if the person standing in front of her was real or if the collision had sent her off to "La-La Land."

For a brief second, the stoic tennis captain seemed confused at how the stranger in front of him knew his name. And then his placid eyes grew a few micrometres wide as realization struck him when he recognized the person in front of him. "Hasegawa-san?" He asked, almost sounding bemused as he stared into bright amber orbs he'd never had the pleasure of seeing before.

"Hai." She affirmed. "Sorry! I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings." Reiko apologized again. She looked up to meet the stoic lad's bewildered gaze and felt a cold wind gust by at his sudden change expression. As soon as Tezuka Kunimitsu reorganized his thoughts, his baffled state quickly turned into an irritated one, as his mind automatically flashed back to the 'unpleasant' scene he'd witnessed just yesterday when he was running errands for his mother.

"Aa..." It took Tezuka all his will power to once again stare unnervingly at the amber-eyed girl before frostily stalking off.

Reiko stood there frozen, feeling as if she'd been shattered into a million different pieces after being given the cold shoulder. She knew the stoic tennis captain had always been one to be distant, but the previous display of character made the walking iceberg seem even colder.

**--**

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**Author's Notes:**

Okay, somthing weird happened and I suddenly found the unedited version of this chapter posted up! I think I was too sleepy when redoing all the other ones and so I must've posted this chapter by mistake. Sorry for that!

Even the shout-outs are gone... (Sighs), I guess I'll have to post them up again.

**dfisher25-** Thank you!

**demonsadist- **Yes! It's the start... of a fever! LOL! Thanks!

**singer in the wind- **It's cool. At least I get to surprise you still. Gald you liked it!

**akayuki-rin-** Thanks! I fixed that up... I may be starting to get the hang of this Romaji thing... big MAYBE...

**unknown player- **Thanks! I'll try to draw that one.

**White Alchemist Taya- **LOL! He's a bit slow on the pick tho...

**Heart- **Thanks! I think Fuji would have to be hit with an anvil to get him moving.

**LunarRaven666- **Hahaha! Who knows where the story will end up. Just like Reiko, this author is a a bit random. Don't know how you managed to read the whole story in one sitting, but I salute you for that!

**Otakugal- **Hmm.. I guess we now all know what Tezuka did... What he does best... (brick wall... cough cough)

**Stratosphere- **Thanks! Hahahaha! I'm glad I didn't disappoint, I was nervous about posting that chapter.

**Moonlitelover- **Cool! You noticed! I just wanted to put a Gai-sensei thing up there!

**invisible-gurl-** Thank you! I hope Fuji keeps his feelings in check... And same goes with Tezuka...

**animeninja13- **I think it depends on the mood she's in when she finds out. LOL! We all know how random our female lead gets.

**Charmane-** Yup... They pretty much were. Thank you for viewing and reviewing.

And to all those who continue to read and follow this fic... Thank you thank you very much!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come again!**


	20. Confrontations, Realizations, Heartache

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys! Sorry if it took me a while to update! Anyway, here's chapter 20. You probably won't find it very eventful, but it's crucial to the story.

Everything will pick up pace from the next chapter onwards, so yeah...

Also, if you have or can download the song "Wanna Be Close" by Avant, it'll be really cool if you play it while reading this chapter. Do this on your own accord. Of course, do not attempt if you can't read and listen at the same time.

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**Chapter 20**

Confrontations, Realizations... Heartaches.

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**--Tokyo Sports and Aquatic Centre--**

/Maybe he didn't recognize me?/ That was another excuse Reiko's mind had conjured as she slowly paced back to the badminton hall. Her brain had constantly been occupied by drawing conclusions to justify Tezuka Kunimitsu's earlier actions. Conclusions her mind had so eagerly jumped to in an attempt to make herself feel better, although to no avail.

/Of course he knew it was you.../ She reminded herself dryly, while remembering the hint of uncertain recognition in his voice and the look of realization so evident in the stoic boy's usually impassive eyes. She knew better to know that the absence of her passé, thick black plastic spectacles barely provided any obstruction that prevented Tezuka Kunimitsu's superior intellect from recognizing her. That in mind, she robotically entered the spacious badminton hall, her face clearly pensive and her mind full of disarray. The dejected girl was so busy thinking of the possible reasons she was given the cold shoulder, that she did not even notice her infuriated badminton coach lash out a multitude of punishments upon her entry.

The downpour of punishments came to an abrupt stop when the foreign badminton coach noticed the glum aura surrounding his favourite student. The instant silence caused 8 heads to turn to the uncharacteristically quiet coach, and, upon noticing his distant gaze, traced it and found their raven-haired friend approaching with an aberrant air of desolation.

"Reiko?" Mariko called out, hopeful that her voice might break through their youngest member's thoughts. She felt slightly relieved when the said girl responded.

"What's wrong?" The pigtailed girl asked in worry, while the rest of Japan's finest junior badminton players huddled closer. The sole tennis prodigy amongst the company of 'feather whackers' fixed his concerned azure eyes on the disturbed girl's face, brows slightly furrowed and creasing in the middle while he anticipated her reply.

"Huh?" Reiko muttered absentmindedly, looking up to meet everyone's expectant gaze. "Oh! Uh... Nothing!" She denied while trying to force an assuring smile.

Fuji resisted the urge to whisk his head in a reprimanding fashion. /Why bother lying when you're clearly no good at it?/

"Really?" Shoji probed. "So why is your bottle empty? Didn't you say you were gonna fill it up?" He interrogated.

Reiko quickly glanced at the black, translucent, not to mention empty, water bottle on her hand, realizing what she'd done, or rather, forgotten to do. "Err... the fountain wasn't working." She poorly reasoned.

The tanned boy was about to poke further when his coach's boisterous voice filled the enormous hall, echoing loudly within its walls.

"Shoji, what are you doing? Everyone get back to work!" Everyone reluctantly scrambled to obey the command. They wanted to know what happened, but their fear of push-ups outweighed the curiosity.

The uncanny familiarity between the elder coach's choice of words with Tezuka's when angered seemed to have nailed Reiko's two feet on the floor, making her stand still as a statue.

"Hasegawa Reiko! What on earth are you standing around there for? Were the amount of squat jumps I gave you not satisfying enough?" The badminton coach asked sardonically, snapping the raven-haired girl out of her trance.

"A-ah! H-Hai-hai!" Reiko stammered while scuttling on her feet to get back on the court.

Rexy-sensei immediately regretted the decision of having Reiko resume training with the team. Time has barely even reached 5 minutes since the last break and Reiko's inattention and lack of concentration were already being exposed. He had assigned his team to split up into pairs to do a 'smash and defence' exercise, and the drill clearly showed something was eating Hasegawa Reiko from the inside. She was second to Nicholas in terms of accuracy. _Was_. While it's true that she landed all her smashes with full power, the problem was she got everything in... the neighbouring court.

The foreign badminton coach shook his head disapprovingly, now feeling irked by his student's unusual behaviour. Heaving a deep breath, he told Reiko to sit out for a few minutes—Much to Karin's delight—so as to prevent her from being a threat to his team's and the innocent by-standers' lives, and also, in the hope that the few hundred seconds would be able to pacify whatever it was that bothered his protégé. Mildly embarrassed, Reiko could only obey her coach's commands and headed to the bleachers with her head down low.

"Saa... I should've known better than listen to Inui. I knew he had a tendency to exaggerate..." Fuji murmured as Reiko sat down beside him.

"What'd Inui say this time?" Reiko asked, half-interested.

Fuji shrugged his shoulders before replying in a low voice, so as to keep the conversation strictly between the two of them, "I admit, hearing about how good you are made me curious. And now that I know I guess I can say that badminton really isn't all that great. If I'd known it'd be a waste of time I—"

The words kept replaying in Reiko's head. /Badminton isn't all that great. Badminton isn't all that great? BADMINTON ISN'T ALL THAT GREAT?!/ Almost immediately, Reiko's temper flared. Being ignored by her secret crush was one thing, but trash-talking about the sport she so passionately played was another. It was downright infuriating, especially coming from a person who has never even played the sport! Fuji felt his companion's shoulder tremble.

"How dare you judge my sport like that when you've never tried it yourself?!" Reiko snapped, causing all heads to turn her direction. Everyone saw an enraged Reiko with her right index finger pointed at Fuji's face, looking like she was just about ready to jab him with it.

"Isn't it? So why are they players underpayed? Why are tournaments underfunded?" Fuji questioned. Angering the already incensed girl even more.

"Badminton is just as fierce..." Reiko said between gritted teeth, pausing to poke the tennis prodigy's chest. "It's just as fast..." She paused to poke him again. "As any other sport! Maybe even faster! Andy Roddick's 246-k serve doesn't even come close to Taufik Hidayat's 305-k smash!" She seethed. Livid, Reiko stalked off to where her bag was, eager to 'efficiently' relieve herself of the anger.

Fuji restrained himself from smiling smugly. He watched in mild amusement as his cooperative learning partner take something out of her bag, revealing one of the new racquets she'd just received that day.

"UGH!"

He fought the urge to chuckle as he watched her proceed to the court, audibly grunting in frustration as she did.

/Sorry, Reiko. That was harsh but necessary./ He thought, while fixing his gaze on the girl's court. His right hand then subliminally rubbed the area on his chest where the raven was—just a while ago—jabbing. /No holes, but it'll definitely bruise/ He thought jokingly.

"What was that about?" Ryoutaro asked Ansei. The latter merely shrugged his hulking shoulders, not too sure himself.

After the public display of fury, everything finally went back to normal. Well, sort of. The badminton team and the onlookers became more terrified for their lives, now that Reiko was back on the court to unleash her wrath, she may as well be a weapon of mass destruction. Her temper was so life-threateningly dangerous that nearly all her teammates were coerced into backing out of being her drill partner. In the end the only brave one, rather, the only one who didn't really care about what's happening, was Nicholas. But even he was reluctant to step up. The half-European felt his pupils slightly dilate when he heard Rexy-sensei say...

"Alright people! Body smashes this time!"

It was just his luck that it was his turn to defend.

**--On the Train--**

Tezuka glanced at the elder man that sat beside him on the train surreptitiously. The grey man had just grunted for the umpteenth time since the stoic tennis captain took the seat next to him. Every 5 seconds or so, his mind would race back to the image of a certain raven-haired girl who wore a forlorn expression on her face after having been rebuffed. The usually collected tennis captain wanted to beat himself up, knowing that it was he who was the cause of the girl's pained expression. The girl's obvious distress had made him so guilt-ridden and restless to the point that he shifted positions on his seat every time the mental image played on his head.

Not wanting to test the limit of the elder man's patience, the impassive boy decided to stand up instead. Tezuka sighed as he gripped an overhead handrail for support.

He thought that a little tennis would help keep his mind clear of the events he had witnessed yesterday, not anticipating bumping into the one person he—even mentally—tried to avoid. He should've known she would be there, she was the one that suggested they hold their private training sessions there after all. He resisted the urge to slap his head for his hypocrisy. He had let his guard down. Why was he so perturbed about it anyway? Hasegawa Reiko and Fuji Syuusuke's relationship was none of his concern, yet why was he so disturbed? The stoic boy took another deep sigh as he let his beleaguered hazel eyes stare out the wide train window, allowing his mind to freely wander.

**--Fuji and Reiko's Neighbourhood--**

The tennis prodigy silently stared at his learning partner's slightly hunched back. Clearly something was troubling the raven-haired girl, her slumped shoulders and dejected disposition were solid evidence. His curiosity ate him from the inside as he forced to keep himself from prying, knowing it will dispirit the already glum girl even more. He settled to silently accompanying the morose girl home, all the while berating himself for being incapable of lifting her spirits.

/Is this all the tensai of Seigaku can do? Watch?/ He heard a disparaging voice in his head speak, its tone was acerbic as it questioned his capability. They had walked a good 20 minutes home and yet he still hasn't managed to cheer Reiko up.

"I'll see you at school Fuji." Reiko bid lifelessly, pulling the tennis prodigy from his thoughts.

"Ah... See you tomorrow, Hasegawa-san. Let's do our best with the History test, ne?" Fuji replied encouragingly. He then felt like slapping himself for having reminded the raven-haired girl of her dreaded test.

"Aa..." Came Reiko's monotonous reply before limply heading inside her house.

Fuji's wide azure eyes again stared at the at the raven-haired girl's retreating back. Obviously something bothered his learning partner, and he was certain it was something big.

/Coward!/ The voice in his head goaded.

That was the final blow. The brown-haired boy clenched his fists tightly as he raced up to his room. If something gravely distressed his raven-haired friend, he would do all he can to ease her burden. He would be whoever she needed him to be, be it her nemesis in their petty prank war, or the long lost friend she did not even remember, or even the shoulder that would anchor all her problems.

The tennis prodigy found himself breathless out the balcony of his room. He took deep breaths to compose himself before taking the 5 easy steps on the ladder that led to his learning partner's own balcony. He peered into the glass door and found his partner staring blankly at her white ceiling. She lay on her large, queen-sized bed, her hands pillowing her head, while music blared from the stereos wired to her computer. He did not bother wiping the serious expression off his face before knocking on the glass.

**--Reiko's Room--**

Avant's song, 'I Wanna Be Close' had just proceeded to the chorus, when Reiko was jolted from her thoughts by a loud but careful knock on her glass door. She stood from her bed with a puzzled expression on her face. She was not confused at who her visitor might be, for there could only be one, she was more baffled by the reason for his visit. She slid the glass door open and found her downcast amber eyes meet her learning partner's scrutinizing sapphire ones.

"Fuji?" She heard an unusual croaky voice say, then realizing that the offensive voice was actually hers.

"Ah... Hasegawa-san..." The tennis prodigy began. The determined look that occupied his face a few seconds ago quickly turned into an uncertain one after coming across the inquiring ochre eyes.

_I wanna be the smile you put on your face_

"I just wanted to apologise for what I said earlier." He digressed. Reiko quirked her brow, not quite sure what the boy was apologising for. "I was wrong to look down on badminton like that. After watching you and your team play, I know now that it is just as fast and as exciting as any other sport out there." He continued.

_I wanna be your hands when you say your grace_

"Don't worry about it. I actually have to thank you for that, you know. If you hadn't said all those things, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on training again. Although I'm happy you've realized how stupid you were for saying that." Reiko managed to smile smugly, it was weak.

"That was quite foolish of me, ne?" Fuji said in an attempt to delay confronting the raven-haired girl. If he could continue to distract her like that, then there would be no need to touch on the sensitive topic.

_I wanna be whatever is your favorite place, oh_

"Very." Reiko replied. The two lapsed into silence and the tennis prodigy noticed that his learning partner was gradually returning to her glum state.

"Your agility is impressive. Nicholas-san looked like 'Big Foot' in contrast to you." He commended, again attempting to distract. He refrained from cracking a triumphant smile when he saw Reiko's face slightly brighten.

_I just wanna be close..._

"Thanks. I'm proud of that. You know I made my own program to develop that kind of agility. Don't tell anyone though." Reiko put her index finger over her lips to imitate a "shh-ing" pose, while winking at the brown-haired boy.

Fuji chuckled. "Your secret is safe with me, as long as you promise to let me try it." He bargained.

_I wanna be the hat you put on your head_

It was Reiko's turn to chuckle. "Suuure. I'll hold you to that." The playful tone in her voice appealed to the tensai's curiosity.

"Your program... Won't you give the slightest idea?" Fuji asked, stalling.

_I wanna be the sheets you put on your bed_

"Where's the fun in that? I'll show you another time. I'll be your personal agility instructor." All too soon, the carefree atmosphere was gone as Reiko mulled over the words 'personal' and 'instructor' in her head. Again, the amber-eyed girl's face was melancholic.

Knowing he could delay the matter no further, Fuji took a deep breath before speaking. "Ne, Hasegawa-san, it's not just I who has noticed, even your teammates have." The tennis prodigy paused to fix his azure gaze on Reiko's pallid face. "What's wrong?" He asked, finally.

_I wanna be the skirt wrapped around your legs_

"Hmm? Nothing..." Reiko merely shrugged her shoulders as she kept her gaze on the floor, all the while fiddling with her fingers.

It took the brown-haired boy all his courage to put one hand on the raven girl's shoulder while his other hand positioned itself on her chin, gently tilting her head up so that she could meet his intense gaze.

"Won't you tell me?" His eyes were pleading while his voice was resolute, as if requesting to shoulder all her problems for her.

_Oh, I just wanna be close..._

Reiko was instantly disarmed by the weight of Fuji's beseeching gaze. She was tired, tired of keeping everything inside, tired of not being able to confide in anyone but herself. Again, she found herself burying her head into her partner's chest as she finally broke into tears.

"I saw _him_, at the sports centre today." She said in between sobs, finally.

There was no need to ask, for Fuji already knew who his weeping companion meant when she said 'him'. "What happened?" He managed to ask without his voice cracking despite the throbbing of his heart.

_I wanna be the sun, your stars, your moon _

"I don't know. I bumped into him. He was so cold. He just walked away, without a word." Reiko said in between hysterics. "What did I do? Tell me what I did wrong, please."

Any normal person would have trouble making sense of what she said, but Fuji was sharp. He felt helpless upon seeing her plead—no, beg—like that. Seeing the usually feisty Reiko so desperate and vulnerable was, to him, heart-wrenching. He was all but prepared to feel the pain when he finally learned _who _it was she wept for.

"Shh... I'm sure you did nothing wrong." He comforted, stroking her silky, jet black hair.

_I wanna be a hot summer day in June_

"So why did he act that way then?" Reiko asked bitterly.

Fuji's mind then began to wonder why indeed, his stoic, impassive friend would ever treat the weeping girl with such hostility.

/Think, Syuusuke./ He pursed his lips as he focused his intelligent mind into trying to figure out the reason behind his impassive friend's unusual behaviour.

/Friday they were together, he seemed normal then./ He thought, remembering his spying with his teammates and the upbeat mood his learning partner was in when she came home from her personal training session. /So that leaves yesterday.../ Fuji's eyes widened upon realizing what it was that must've pushed the stoic tennis captain into acting uncharacteristically.

"I'm not sure why Tezuka acted the way he did," He lied, then hesitated. "But I do know how you can make it up to him, even though I'm sure it wasn't your fault." He put on his perfected, practiced smile before breaking his embrace with the raven-haired girl.

_I wanna be the smell of your sweet perfume_

Reiko looked up at him expectantly, eagerness evident in her wet, ochre eyes. Her renewed enthusiasm felt like a brutal assault to his heart.

"I'll share with you a little secret, promise it's only between us two?" Fuji said with his unbreakable, cheerful facade. "I know he doesn't look like it, but Tezuka is a sucker for baked goods." This time, it was the tennis prodigy who winked.

_I just wanna be close..._

Reiko's jaw fell, and instantly her despondent expression turned into disbelief. "No way! What's his favourite?" She asked, eager.

"I'll give you a hint..." Fuji egged on. "Chocolate and spongy."

_I wanna be the seed that bare your life brand new_

"No. Way!" Reiko exclaimed, incredulous upon her realization.

"Only homemade." He added. The tennis prodigy then contemplated whether he should tell the—now lively—Reiko that his stoic tennis captain was allergic to nuts. Deciding anaphylactic shock wouldn't be something he'll be laughing about, he begrudgingly informed her. "No nuts, by the way. We don't want our most valued player out for the Hyotei match."

_I wanna be the one that's so faithful and true_

"Right. No nuts. Got it!" Reiko noted. "Oh my God! Fuji, you're the best!" Reiko hugged the tennis prodigy tightly in her excitement, not in any way aware of the unusual red flush on her learning partner's face.

"I'll get on it right now!"

Five seconds later, Fuji found himself being rushed down his ladder. With another abrupt "Thank you", Reiko disappeared into her room and sprinted to their kitchen. The tensai's false dumbfounded expression perfectly concealed his indiscernably fractured state.

_I wanna be the man down that aisle in that suit,_

_I just wanna be close._

**--Hasegawa Kitchen--**

"Yoshi! Alright, 'B', 'B', 'B', 'B'..." Reiko mumbled to herself while browsing through the 'B' section of their 'Bible-thick' cook book.

"Aha!" Her face lit up when she finally found what she was looking for. "I should probably double the recipe." She told herself before proceeding to ransacking the kitchen cupboards for all the things she needed.

Mrs. Hasegawa, who was watching T.V. in the living room, was disrupted from her program by the sudden noise in her kitchen. Curious, she switched the large LCD off and proceeded to where the clanging sounds originated. Her jaw nearly dropped upon seeing her daughter in the kitchen, cook book in front, wooden spoon and mixing bowl in each hand.

"Rei, what are you doing?" She asked, warily.

"Baking, isn't it obvious?" The raven-haired girl replied casually.

"I can see that. But why?" The older woman pressed, her face now aghast upon seeing her daughter throw in two, unbroken eggs into the stainless mixing bowl. She cringed upon hearing the eggs crunch as they cracked while her daughter mixed the ingredients in the bowl.

"Peace offering." Reiko merely shrugged her shoulders before 'shoo-ing' her mother away from the kitchen.

"Are you sure you don't want any help dear?" The older woman offered, again. She was certain her daughter needed help, but 'needing' is different from 'wanting'.

"Yup! I can do this myself, how hard can it be?" The raven-haired girl reassured while adding the white sugar into the mixture.

"Err, honey... That's salt." Mrs. Hasegawa informed, horified.

"Oh!.. Woops..."

**--Fuji's Room--**

That evening, as the clanging of pans, the whirring of kitchen apparatuses, and the ringing of his neighbour's smoke alarm reverberated through the neighbourhood, in the privacy of his own room, Fuji Syuusuke lay on his bed, face aggrieved as he stared blankly at his pale blue ceiling, confirming the worst of his suspicions.

/That's right. He must be upset because we did not show up for Saturday training. Together./

So his first and long lost friend liked—he refused to say is 'in-love'—with his stoic captain and close friend. And the latter, who was not as emotionally detached as he thought, mutually held the same feeling for the former.

Fuji inhaled deeply and kept the air in his lungs for as long as he could. And just when his lungs felt like they were just about ready to explode, he exhaled.

/So where does this leave me?/

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Note:**

I had a more appropriate song for this chapter, but I didn't take note of it when I thought about it. So when I was writing this chapter, I forgot which song it was. And it would be reaaaaally tedious for me to browse through my entire iTunes library for that song. So I picked Avant's, its similar, and almost gives the same feel.

By the way... I have started writing a second fic. It's titled "Unravelling Tezuka Kunimitsu". Basically, Tezuka meets a curious, telepathic transfer student. If you have time, please check it out! Thanks!

Now for shout-outs...

**dfisher25 and ani-sand-** Thank you very much for the positive review!

**thepianogirl-** err... lemon? Please don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking.

**demonsadist- **Yes, I do play badminton. Actually, I LIVE badminton. LOL! Anyway, as for Karin, yes, she will have a 'recurring role' in the story.

**Heart- **Well... blow up the kitchen? Err... let's just say the smoke detectors were ringing non-stop.

**Charmane-** Tezuka is still... in denial... Fuji is well aware though. Ahahaha! The verdict on Reiko's baking will be seen on the next chapter.

**seshata4434-** Thanks. Yes, hopefully they will make the story more interesting.

**Otakugal- **Yes... there are many "should's".. and to think these boys are meant to be smart.

**fujilovesme- **Thanks. Coach Rexy has quite a character.

**Moonlitelover- **LOL! I think he was trying to cool off... Obviously backfired.

**invisible-gurl-** Yeah, he totally did. Now what's he going to do?

**animeninja13- **Thanks! LOL... There will be heaps of cliff-hangers from now... Hahaha! I've held off on them for too long. Unleash the art of 'suspense'!

**akayuki-rin-** That makes more sense. Will fix that one up soon as I have time. Thanks!

**White Alchemist Taya-** I know! Jerk much? Hahaha! He's in for it in the next chapter.

**TakeKuri-** Yeah, the badminton stuff are all facts. Don't worry about it too much, heaps of people play like that. I'd be worried if I was playing for national team tho... hehe!

**Riropin-** I'll try to update more frequently. I think this chapter was veeerrry light on the funny. Anyway, thanks!

And for all those people who read and support this fic! Thank You Thank You Very Much!

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	21. Of Love and Martyrs

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! This is the longest chapter I've ever written! Very eventful, if I may add. LOL! I hope you're doing something else as you read, wouldn't want any of your bums to get bigger! LOL!

When I was writing this chapter, I was listening to Ben Jelen's "Come on". Not throughout the whole process, but I did repeat it more than five times. If you can play or download the song as you read, it'll be way cooler. Especially on the part where Tezuka flashbacks.

Do not attempt if you can't read and listen to music at the same time though! Haha!

Also, if I could just say, Reiko's interpretation of 'spongy' is a "Spongebob" out of water.

**--**

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**Chapter 21**

Of Love and Martyrs

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**--Monday Morning--**

A muffled, drowsy grunt escaped through Fuji Syuusuke's lips as he drove lethargy out of his system. Unusually a grouch in the morning, the Seigaku tennis prodigy sighed before pushing away the warm cotton sheets and the heavy comforter that relentlessly compelled him to cave into lassitude. He did not get much sleep last night. His inexhaustible thoughts made his mind unsettled, causing him to restlessly toss and turn in bed. Finally, he lifted from being supine, planting his bare feet on the carpeted floor as he sat on the edge of his double sized bed.

Ruffling his dishevelled brown hair, a habit to stir himself out of torpor, the tennis prodigy stood up and proceeded to cleaning-up his muddled blue and black- striped beddings, fluffing every pillow and straightening each noticeable crease. He finished by placing his cleanly folded navy flat sheet on the foot of his bed before heading to the bathroom to get ready for school.

He allowed the cool water to pelt his skin, each droplet washing away an ounce of languor from his body. He watched as the soapy suds stream down the drain, all the while wishing that like the bubbles, his thoughts too could easily be flushed away.

Robotically, he finished dressing, then headed down the stairs to find that his house was unsurprisingly empty. Grabbing a box of cereal from the pantry, he made his way to the refrigerator to get a carton of milk out, a bright orange post-it note stuck on the stainless fridge door caught his attention just before he pulled it open.

_Syuusuke,_

_Had to leave early for work today. Didn't have time to make your lunch so I left some money on the table. _Fuji shifted his eyes on the round dining table and found a white envelope, he presumed had the money in it. He shook his head in mild disapproval before continuing to read the rest of the note.

_Have fun and take care at school today._

_Love,_

_Oneesan._

_P.S._

_Try to come home early tonight, Yuuta is coming home._

The tennis prodigy couldn't help but wonder what might be happening that night. His younger brother seldom came home unless for something important. Shrugging the minor thought away, he sat down on a dining chair to eat breakfast properly. While crunching on his cereals, he reached across for the white envelope and inspected its contents. He mirthlessly smirked upon seeing how much money his sister had left him this time. No way at all was he in need of lunch money, he had already been given his monthly allowance. Also, no way at all was the generous "sum" inside the envelope just "lunch money". The tensai couldn't help but feel suspicious about whatever it was that would be happening that evening, why else would his sister be bribing him?

He placed the wad of cash back inside the envelope before putting his bowl inside the dishwasher. /I guess there's no training for me tonight./ He thought while walking to where his tennis bag lay. He took out all that he needed for school from a compartment on his racquet bag, then took a black backpack from the linen closet and proceeded to depositing his items there. He took the house keys on the dining table before heading out the front door, leaving the 'innocent', white envelope behind and its contents untouched.

**--Outside--**

With his bag slung on his right shoulder, Fuji secured the front door to his house, pushing the handle down to double check if everything was locked. Satisfied, he slung the other strap on his left shoulder so that the bag hung properly on his back before walking down the front yard.

Upon hearing the distinct sound of a door being shut, the tennis prodigy turned his head a few degrees to the direction of the sound. Again, he was unsurprised when he spotted his learning partner's familiar raven-hair emerge from the house next door. Silently, he sneaked up behind her to give her his morning greeting.

"Don't even think about it." Reiko warned without turning her head around.

/Smarter every time./ He thought, amused.

"Ohayou, Hasegawa-san. Are we prepared for the big history test today?" He asked.

"Hah!" She scoffed. "'Prepared' is an understatement. From the test you gave me, I'd say I could ace that one." She declared proudly as she finished locking up.

"Oh? We're quite confident are we?" Fuji teased. He then stopped upon sensing his pallid companion's sudden unease.

"Err... speaking of confidence..." Reiko trailed, finally looking up from her bag to Fuji. Her bright amber eyes never ceased to take the tennis prodigy by surprise. He could never get used to it's warm and lively glow, always guessing when his learning partner would be hiding or exposing them.

"No glasses today?" He asked, albeit the obvious. Reiko merely shook her head.

"No. Listen..." She began again, keeping her gaze down to her fiddling fingers. Of course, her nervousness did not go unnoticed.

It was evident in her face that she had something to say, and her reluctance and discomfort opening up to him was starting to get on his nerves. Why couldn't she just tell him what it is she wanted to say?

Sighing to rid himself of the irritation, he put his hand under her chin and once again tilted her face up so that she could meet his expectant gaze. So far, that persuasive tactic proved to be reliable.

"What is it?" He inquired, his azure eyes washing the apprehension in her eyes.

"Err... About yesterday..." Reiko started. Fuji resisted the urge to tap his feet impatiently. "You know, when you gave me the hint..."

"Oh." From years of practice, the brown-haired boy did not have a hard time trying to conceal any trace of disappointment, be it in his voice or face.

"Okay look. Here." Reiko said, sounding slightly annoyed. She then reached inside her bag to take out a small blue plastic container. Hastily, she shoved the Tupperware to his hands, before meekly looking up. She found her learning partner staring at her with the same unremitting smile, although his brows were raised in surprise and suspicion. "What, you didn't think I'd forget about you right?"

"How fantastic would it be if you really hadn't." Fuji murmured, barely audible for his companion to hear.

"Sorry, what was that?" Reiko asked, not quite catching what the tennis prodigy had said.

"What was what?" Fuji asked looking dumbfounded.

"Oh... Never mind. I thought you said something." She said, waving off the thought.

Fuji eyed the amber-eyed girl oddly. /Too close, Syuusuke. Too close./ He warned himself before proceeding to inspect what was inside the blue container.

"Hmmm?" He hummed pensively upon seeing the chocolate brown squares inside. He then eyed raven-haired girl distrustfully.

"There's no poison in there." She assured rather defensively. Of course, Fuji knew there wasn't anything suspicious _in _the baked goods. His wariness was raised by the disquieted expression on the girl's face. She's given him the baked goods, so why did she still look perturbed.

"Well... aren't you going to try them?" She pressed.

Fuji knew her face was too eager to be guilty of committing crime. He then mentally mused if it was true that 'nothing good is ever free.' She wanted to ask for a favour. She wanted a lab rat.

The tennis prodigy chuckled. "So you want me to be the hamster, eh?" He teased, taking out a slice and inspecting it.

"No, it's not like that!" Reiko denied. "I'm not that... bad... you know." She stated flatly, struggling to find a more appropriate term.

"Anyway, I really doubled the recipe because I planned to give you some. See how thoughtful I am?" She beamed. "Of course, a little feedback won't hurt." She mumbled.

Aha. So it's proven. Hasegawa Reiko doubts her baking skills. And she needs a test subject for assurance. /What's with women and their bribes today?/ Fuji speculated.

"Feedback, eh?" He mused, focusing on the brownie in his hand. He then noticed that the baked good in his hand was a bit... crusty.

/Did I not say spongy?/ Fuji thought.

"Err... Hasegawa-san..." The tennis prodigy began. "Wasn't I clear on the hint I gave you?" He asked, cautious.

"You were. I think... Why?" Reiko confirmed.

"Nothing. Never mind." Fuji shrugged. /I must've left out the spongy part./ He presumed before taking a bite. He crunched down on the chocolate cookie, feeling like he crushed his enamel. He then swallowed, the broken glass shards—err, cookie bits—before reaching for his bag to grab a bottle of water.

"How is it?" Reiko asked expectantly. The anxiety in her voice was evident.

Fuji raised his hand up, palm facing the raven-haired girl, motioning her to give him a few seconds. A few seconds for his throat to heal and think of a good answer. /Never mind that it was too sweet. Anything sweet is good right?/ He asked himself, unsure. He then downed another mouthful of water before speaking.

"Your cookies were... delicious..." Fuji lied. Of course the unusual croak in his velvet smooth voice made it unconvincing. "Maybe a bit too crunchy, but some people prefer that." He justified. He felt himself gulp, despite the pain in his throat as he saw the quirked brow on Reiko's face.

"What cookies?" Reiko asked, clueless, taking the tennis prodigy aback.

Unsure, Fuji raised the blue container head-level and rattled it slightly. Instantly, ochre eyes started watering in devastation.

"These... cookies...?" Fuji stated, uncharacteristically nervous.

"Those are brownies..." Reiko declared lifelessly.

A cold gust of wind blew by.

"Brownies?" Fuji asked, nearly scoffing as he failed to prevent the incredulity from escaping his lips. Rather than feel guilty, the tennis prodigy's shoulder began to tremble. He could no longer resist the urge to laugh. Yes, laugh. Not chuckle. Laugh. Fuji Syuusuke, tennis genius of Seishun Gakuen Middle School burst into fits of hysteria.

The melodious laughter would've been appreciated by just any normal female in the entire universe, galaxy even. Even Hasegawa Reiko would be 'soundstruck' by the musical tone in her learning partner's chortle, had it not been the wrong time. Her fists began to shake as she clenched them tightly.

"Teme... FUJI! YOU IDIOT! I HATE YOU!" Reiko screamed at the top of her lungs. She even stood on her toes so as to belch everything out. But despite her outburst, Fuji continued to laugh.

SNIFF. SNIFF.

Instantly, the brown-haired tennis prodigy shut his mouth the moment he heard the sobs come. /Uh-oh/ Fuji coughed, clearing his throat and composing himself. He opened his eyes and found the raven-haired girl sitting down on her porch, her head tucked between her knees, dejected.

"Hasegawa-san... I..." He began.

"They were that bad, huh?" She asked, her voice cracking at every word.

It pained Fuji to see her that way, more so because it was his fault. In truth, this isn't the way he'd expected his learning partner to react. He was not used to her fragile, sensitive side. Where was the spitfire of a girl that was always up for a fight? Where were the foul yet creative curses? Did she like _him_ that much to have been offended to that extent? Was she beyond _liking_?

"I'm sorry. There's no excuse for the way I behaved." He apologised limply.

"Why apologise? You were telling the truth." She said bitterly. "At least now I know better than to give it to him."

A gouge to the heart.

"Could you please stop being foolish?" The usually calm and collected tennis prodigy now sounded annoyed.

Heavier sobbing.

Fuji sighed, regaining his cool. "I apologise. That was harsh but it's the truth." He paused to eye his raven-haired companion again, still no sign of improvement. "You remember last night when I said Tezuka only likes homemade?" He asked.

A weak nod.

"That's because he appreciates the effort you put in, more than the quality of the end product." He continued. He then noticed that the scuffles had finally come to a stop.

"Besides, I never said your brownies were off. In fact, you could still give it to him and pass them as cookies." He reassured. "And isn't it great that Tezuka never says anything?" He added.

"Right..." Reiko scoffed. "If he doesn't say anything, he loves it. But if he doesn't say anything, he hates it. Greeeaaat." She said sardonically. Finally, she looked up to find a blurry image of her learning partner towering over her. She blushed when she saw the hazy image of the tennis prodigy crouch down her level to dry her tear-filled eyes with his handkerchief. When he finished, she wondered why her surroundings still remained a blur.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, realizing she had to reposition her contact lenses as they moved out of place during her hypersensitive display. With her index finger, she felt for the lens on each of her eyes and upon feeling it, moved it around until they were in place.

After blinking a few times, she then felt her cheeks burn upon the proximity of hers and her learning partner's faces. The blush then quickly disappeared when she saw the expression on his face. Horrified and repulsed.

"What?" She asked defensively. She couldn't help but wonder if there was something foul on her face, or if it was her face that was offensive.

"Please refrain from doing that in front of me." Fuji requested.

"What? Adjusting my contact lenses?" Reiko asked, amused. "Aww... Do you get queasy when I touch my eye?" She taunted, motioning to replay the scene again.

"It's... disturbing... when you see it up close." He said, turning away to start walking to the direction of the school.

"Sure. Up close. Right." Reiko said wryly. "Anyway... So you think these will pass as cookies?" She asked while slinging her backpack on her shoulders and walking after the brown-haired boy.

"Sure. I never said they were bad." Fuji shrugged.

"You think he'll like 'em?"

"I'm sure he'll love them."

"How do you know?" Reiko demanded.

"Well, you did put _a lot_ of effort into making them. I mean, what rate did you beat the mixture? 360 revolutions per second? I bet you'd have trounced the 'Kitchen-Aid' on turbo mode." He teased, earning himself a sharp elbow nudge to the rib.

"Well, I'm sorry I have excessive wrist strength." Reiko muttered sardonically.

"I think you should apologise for the excessive violence." He corrected, on the contrary.

"Would you like another one?" Reiko offered, fist clenched in the air.

The tennis prodigy raised his hands in resignation and politely declined. "I think my ribs are satisfied."

He slowed his pace to allow his amber-eyed companion to walk ahead of him. As soon as she was a good distance away, the brown-haired boy allowed his plastered smile to falter. /Fuji Syuusuke, you are such a martyr./ He thought, castigating himself for his penchant for her happiness.

**--Seigaku, 3-6 Classroom--**

All conversation died as heads turned to the door and found Fuji Syuusuke and Hasegawa Reiko, mortal enemies, arrive the classroom together. Jaws began falling upon the sight of their raven-haired classmate, customary glasses absent and bright amber eyes exposed. Then eyes started bulging out of their sockets upon the sight of their raven-haired classmate, customary glasses absent, bright amber eyes exposed, _and_ civilly engaged in conversation with their resident tensai.

Chiharu, Ayumi and Kikumaru, who were being eaten by curiosity since Saturday, could only look on with disbelief.

"No way!" Chiharu exclaimed.

"It was actually true?" Ayumi scoffed, sceptical.

"Nya! Rei-chan is so pretty!" Kikumaru squealed dreamily at the sight of his amber-eyed friend. The two girls exchanged hopeless expressions before continuing to speculate.

"Since when?" Chiharu asked, intrigued.

"You're asking me?" Ayumi returned. The trio were busy gaping at the cooperative learning partners before a deep, husky voice interrupted.

"Hasegawa Reiko, a national level badminton player, and Fuji Syuusuke, Seigaku's renowned tennis prodigy, have been dating since Saturday, the day of they were absent from training." Inui stated in his conspiracy, whilst again, coming out of nowhere.

"Nya! Inui!"

"What the hell?"

"Okay, I know you're going to ignore but this time I really have to ask. Inui, where did you come from?" Ayumi inquired. And as she stated, the mysterious data man ignored the question and cackled maniacally.

"Ii data..."

The bespectacled boy then walked out of the 3-6 classroom all the while scribbling insanely on his green notebook, while all eyes were averted to him as everyone wondered how he got in the room in the first place.

"Weirdo." Reiko muttered. Fuji chuckled. And all hell was about to break loose.

"Fujiko!" Kikumaru whined as his brown-haired friend took his regular seat behind him. "Is it true?!" The redhead prodded, chagrined.

"What's true?" Reiko asked, interrupting as she sat down on her respective desk. Fuji merely shrugged.

"EEEP!" Kikumaru freaked out, unaccustomed to the two's civilised relationship.

"Reiko!" Chiharu and Ayumi chorused.

Had the timely arrival of the terrorist teacher, Sato-sensei, been delayed, the unsuspecting duo would've both found themselves being bombarded by a series of "What?", "Where?", "When?", and "How?" questions.

"Haruto, Takano, Kikumaru!" The shrill voice of the maths teacher called out, causing all colour to drain from the trio's face. "Perhaps you three would honour the class in doing today's math problem? Three heads _are _better than one." The scrawny sensei cracked a sadistic smile as he stroked the single strand of hair on his mole while waiting.

/Three mindless heads./ He thought, triumphant upon knowing that there was no chance of embarrassing himself in front of the class today. He had called on the 'right people'.

"Hai!" The trio obeyed stiffly.

**--5 minutes till the end of Recess--**

Fuji entered the classroom just before the end of recess and noticed the extinguished expression on his learning partner's face as she sat on her desk with her head perched on her palm, eyes staring distantly out the window.

"It seems like a lot has been bothering you lately, ne Hasegawa-san?"

The bespectacled girl blew the stray strand of hair that dangled on her face resignedly before speaking. "Are you trying to tell me something?" Reiko asked with a slightly sharp tone.

"Just an observation." Fuji said before taking his seat. "Will you tell me or would you rather I asked?" He pressed.

"Remember this morning, when I gave you a bribe? Well apparently it's not really a bribe, but you get what I mean." She started.

Fuji pointed to his face as his face broke into a teasing smile. "You mean when you wanted me to be your lab rat?"

"Whatever." Reiko rolled her eyes and bit her lip.

"I'm guessing there's a part two." Fuji instigated. He tried to make his voice sound enthusiastic, as if he was up for anything his companion was to throw at him. Apparently it worked, for the girl's pallid face instantly brightened.

"You're a very smart person." She commended. "Look, you don't have to help me. I can always ask Eiji or someone else." She rambled.

"What is it?" Fuji asked, pointing to the silver watch on his left wrist warningly.

"Right. Well, I was planning on giving Tezuka the err, cookies, when we have our-" She stopped in mid-sentence upon realizing that the part she was about to get to was still a secret from her the tennis team.

"When you have your private session with Tezuka." Fuji finished for her. The tennis prodigy watched the gold glints in her bright amber eyes twinkle as the ochre orbs dilated.

"How did you know about that?" Reiko interrogated. Fuji merely shrugged and used his index finger to tap his forehead.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Who else knows?" Reiko asked sardonically.

"The whole team." The tensai merely shrugged. "The favour." He reminded before the raven-haired girl could unleash her fury.

"Right. Well, initially I intended to hand him the cookies on our one-on-one session, but from what happened yesterday, I'm not even sure we're going to _have_ a session. Ever." The raven-haired girl said pessimistically.

"And so you want me to be your delivery boy." Fuji concluded, his face unreadable.

The amber-eyed girl cracked a sheepish smile. "Hehe. You know you're smarter than I give you credit for." She flattered.

"Why did you assume that you won't be having any more sessions with Tezuka?" He asked, his plastered smile stretched a millimetre wider. "'Ever'", he mimicked.

"Well... I don't know, because I got the vibe that he hates me." She answered with sarcasm.

"Now why would you think that?" The mischief in the tennis prodigy's voice could no longer be suppressed.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Reiko asked dubiously.

"Well, let's just say I've done more than my fair share of the bargain." If his eyes could get any smaller than the slits they were now, Reiko could've sworn her learning partner had just winked.

"Okay... What?" She asked, lost.

Fuji sighed. "Hasegawa-san, trust me when I say all you have to worry about is avoiding stuttering when you give him the 'cookies' after school." He reassured, chuckling upon the thought of his seatmate's cookies. "And possibly Tezuka's dental bill." He joked.

"What did you do?" She asked, suspicious.

"Let's not concern ourselves with trivial matters, ne?" Fuji suggested. Reiko could only nod, far too overwhelmed by her excitement.

"Fuji! I don't know what you did. But you're the best!" She squealed, delighted.

The tennis prodigy seemed pleased at the reaction he received and gladly accepted his partner's compliment. "I am your _cooperative_ learning partner after all." He said in a matter-of-factly tone while stressing on the word 'cooperative'.

"No." Reiko disagreed. The tennis prodigy quirked his brow in question. "You're my friend." The raven-haired girl corrected, flashing the brown-haired boy a radiant smile that was sure to haunt him in his dreams that night.

"That's quite the promotion." Fuji mused.

"Meh. It's fun to have you around, even if you're a jerk." Reiko admitted, trying to sound brush-off. She then broke into a light laughter when her _friend_ put on a fake offended look.

The laughter came into an abrupt stop as the raven-haired girl slapped her forehead. "Crap." She muttered.

Fuji quirked a brow in question.

"Well, I wasn't sure if I'd be having a session with Tezuka-san today, so I didn't bring any gear." She explained.

"But you planned on giving him the 'brownies'?" He asked skeptically. He almost chuckled when Reiko nodded. "Well, I can't always be your Mr. Fix-it." He teased.

"Meh. I'll figure something out." Reiko reassured.

The two did not notice how close their faces were until their heavily bearded history teacher entered the classroom, causing them to pull and lean back on their respective seats. They were also oblivious to the three gaping mouths that gawked as they observed surreptitiously from their seats.

"Alright class, settle down. Only a pencil and an eraser are allowed on your desks. You may commence as soon as you receive the test paper. Good luck." The history teacher announced as he went around the room to hand the tests out.

After receiving her paper, Reiko turned to eye her seatmate and found him looking at her with an encouraging smile. She winked and gave him a thumbs-up before proceeding to answer her test. The brown-haired boy stifled his chuckle before beginning his own. Again, the two were oblivious to the bewildered stares from the surrounding fan-girls, who saw their silent exchange, much to their dismay.

**--**

A few minutes before the second history period ended, and the history teacher told the class to put their pencils down on the desk. The sensei, whose beared seemed to have grown a centimetre since the start of class, then proceeded to collecting the test papers one by one. After his paper was collected, Fuji turned to his seatmate and eyed her expectantly. She returned his gaze with a blank expression, then raised her hand and formed a thumbs-down. Fuji tilted his head questioningly before the raven-haired girl cracked a proud smile, she flipped her thumbs-down sign and raised her other hand to flash him a double thumbs up. The tennis prodigy exhaled in relief, then leaned closer until his lips were mere centimetres away from her ear to whisper-

"Well done."

**--**

Just then, the lunch bell rang and the brown-haired boy leaned back on his seat to reveal a flushed Reiko who was still leaning on the edge of her seat, toward him.

Fuji chuckled at the sight. "Aren't you going to have lunch?" He interrupted her shallow trance, amused.

"Y-yeah." Reiko stammered, regaining her composure. She fished out her packed lunch just as her two friends approached.

"Hey Rei, wanna eat under the tree today?" Chiharu's singsong voice asked.

"Yeah sure. Just give me a minute to fix my things." Reiko requested, looking up to find her hazel-eyed and brunette friends eye her seatmate with oddity before walking to the door. She then averted her gaze to her learning partner and found him already immersed in the book he was reading while the stacks of bentos magically started piling on his table. She paused to read the title on the thick paperback, then smirked after effortlessly reading the English text. "Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon", it read.

"Aren't _you _going to have lunch?" Reiko asked, throwing the same question back at Fuji.

"Waiting for the line to end." Fuji answered casually, flipping to the next page.

"Line?" She repeated, unsure she heard right.

"Canteen." He answered simply.

"Oh." She affirmed. "Why?" She asked, this time it was she who eyed him peculiarly.

Fuji lowered his book to look at his learning partner strangely. "To buy food of course."

"Thank you Mr. Obvious." The raven-haired girl said sardonically. "I meant why would you buy food in the canteen when you have the whole food court." She asked, pointing to the stack of packed lunches that kept growing and growing in number.

Fuji merely shrugged his shoulders before going back to his book. The raven-haired girl then cracked a knowing smile.

"You know, you are one weird guy." She declared before walking off to where her friends were.

Fuji kept his eyes on the page he was reading although his mind replayed what his raven-haired friend told him. Shrugging the thought away, he resumed to reading the foreign text. Before he could finish the whole paragraph, a screeching sound interrupted and caused him to turn to the seat beside him. His curved, slit eyes, widened upon seeing the amber-eyed girl waving at her friends from her seat.

Feeling the weight of his stare, the raven-haired girl returned his questioning gaze with an innocent one. "What? Can't I keep a friend company? Least I can do." She said defensively.

Fuji felt his smile stretch. "That's rather gracious of you." He teased.

"Keeping you company isn't gracious. Sharing my lunch with you is." She corrected.

"Would you be offended if I asked who cooked your lunch before I accept your generous offer?" Fuji asked warily.

"Gee, thanks. I'm being nice for once and this is what I get. Thanks a lot Fuji." She said dryly. "For the record, my mom made it. Not me. There. Happy?" She asked, annoyed.

"Can you really blame me for taking precaution? After your 'cookies'." Fuji joked.

"Keep it up and I'll be shoving those cookies down your throat." She threatened. "So, Mr. Wise-crack, my mom's honey-soy chicken or my chocolate cookies?" She offered.

"I'm not upsetting you by picking the chicken, am I?" Fuji asked, his tone was teasing.

"Yes. I shall forever hate you for picking the chicken over our friendship." Reiko said, satirical. The two chuckled in chorus.

The raven-haired girl then proceeded to push her table toward her learning partner's so that it joined with his. She then realized there was more to the problem than just their tables. The mountain of bentos were as impenetrable as the Great Wall of China, she was barely able to converse with her learning partner without coming face-to-face with a container of katsudon, or unaju.

"Oi Fuji, I'm already providing the lunch. May as well make yourself useful and get rid of all these bentos." Reiko requested, her patience was slowly running out.

"Wouldn't it be rude?" Fuji asked.

Reiko rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease." She scoffed before standing up to grab a dozen or so bentos and chucking them in the rubbish bin, much to the fan-girls' horror. She made three or four trips before the tennis prodigy's desk became 'bento-free' then dusted her hands. "See, that wasn't so hard?" She asked, completely ignoring the piercing glares from all the females within a 2 kilometre radius.

Fuji stared at the raven-haired girl, bemused and impressed by her show of bravery. He wondered if she was aware that she had just practically signed her own death wish.

"You better have your own chopsticks, bucko. Coz I sure as hell won't be sharing mine."

**--Rooftop--**

The stolid tennis captain stared blankly at the dancing clouds high up in the blue sky while his mind recalled the earlier conversation with his tennis team's resident tensai.

_Tezuka's Flashback_

_--Recess--_

_Tezuka Kunimitsu impassively watched as the grounds of Seishun Gakuen bustled with life that recess. 'People watching' wasn't exactly a hobby, it was more like a habit he picked up from routinely spending his break times on the rooftop whenever there were no club meetings to attend. Although people resembled black and green ants from where he stood, their actions were very much different from the class of insects. Each person was an individual, moving and acting separately from the rest. They had a mind of their own, in contrast to the dependent, 'colony lifestyle' of ants._

_He continued to observe, shifting his gaze from person-to-person until finally, one stood out from the crowd. His gaze remained transfixed on the familiar raven hair whose head turned in all four directions, clearly in search for something amidst the large swarm of students. /Something or someone./ He watched as her shoulders slumped in resignation, before re-entering the main building after obviously having failed to find whoever it was she was looking for._

"_Would you like to know who she's looking for?" A familiar velvet voice asked, making it known that he was not alone anymore._

"_Fuji." He heard his baritone voice acknowledge the presence. He was not at all surprised by the identity of the intruder. The tennis prodigy was the only person who knew of his routine visits to the rooftop._

"_She's looking for _you._" His companion informed. The accusatory tone caused the stoic boy to turn and face the tennis prodigy. He did not expect to come across his friend's cold and piercing azure eyes._

"_..."_

_The tennis prodigy sighed. "She's confused. Wondering what she'd done to offend you. And although without a clue, she's hurt. Hurt rather than angry. It's appalling, to watch her torment herself with the guilt of a crime she did not commit, because she believes she is at fault, because she cannot find the courage to be mad and find any fault in you," Fuji paused, gritting his teeth._

_Tezuka remained silent, clenching his fists tightly._

"_...Because she loves _you_."_

_The assertion made the stoic tennis captain's head snap up._

"_Why are you doing this?" Tezuka spoke, finally. Despite his unfazed exterior, Fuji knew his friend well enough to know that inside he was deeply afflicted._

_The tennis prodigy laughed a humourless laugh._

"_Because I love her." He openly admitted._

_Tezuka raised a brow. Fuji laughed another mirthless laugh._

"_Because her sorrow is my sorrow, and her happiness is my happiness. I love her to the point of being suicidal, enduring the thousand gouges to my heart just to make her smile. I love her to the point of desperation. I cannot bring myself to leave her side, despite knowing I will never be the one she weeps for, despite knowing that I'll never be more than just a shoulder for her to lean on. I love her, perhaps more than you ever could. That I'm willing to bear ten times the pain you inflict on yourself every time you push her away, to grant her the happiness she could only find in being with you._

_Tezuka was speechless at his friend's confession. Fuji chuckled._

"_Are you awake now, Tezuka?" Fuji asked. "Because I sure am."_

"_Aa..." Tezuka replied, his trademark stoic mask now back in place._

"_Good." Fuji plastered his unremitting smile on his face before turning to leave._

"_Fuji."_

_The tennis prodigy stopped in his tracks, his back remained turned against the stolid boy as he waited._

"_Are you just going to give up, without a fight?" The question did not sound challenging. It was purely curious, almost anxious._

"_Don't worry, I won't get in the way. Besides, you need her more." Fuji reassured before continuing to walk to the door. Tezuka resumed to watching the people below._

"_Oh!" Fuji's hand lingered on the knob as he remembered something. "I told Hasegawa-san about the brownies, I hope you don't mind. She was desperate to make it up to you."_

_Tezuka tore his gaze from the ground and shifted them to his friend. "Aa..." He consented._

"_Like her... they're not your ordinary brownies. Pretend they're delicious. And if she says they're cookies, say whatever you think will make her feel better." Fuji advised, trying to stifle a laugh._

"_Aa..." Tezuka acquiesced, nodding in comprehension._

"_That's all. Oh! And I hope you have a good dentist." Fuji forewarned before heading out the door._

_--End of Flashback--_

The stoic boy adjusted his rimless spectacles by the bridge before deciding to head back to his classroom.

**--After School--**

Reiko trudged tensely to where she usually rendezvoused with Tezuka. Her face instantly brightened as she neared her destination. Her heart began to race in excitement upon sighting her personal instructor's eternally stoic face.

"Tezuka-san!" She called out to make sure. Her smile stretched wider when the person by the gates turned to the sound of his name. /So Fuji did pull through!/

"Aa..." Tezuka acknowledged. His eyes widened slightly upon seeing the usually bespectacled girl without her customary glasses. Immediately he became prisoner of her captivating ochre eyes.

"A-anou..." Reiko began to stammer as she sensed his intense stare.

"Hasegawa-san." The impassive lad began, his voice stern and baritone. "I'd like to apologise for yesterday. There is no excuse for the way I acted." He bowed curtly before staring at the dumbstruck girl expectantly.

"Err... Second time I've heard that today." She murmured, trying to regain her composure from the shock. "I'm sure there's a valid explanation for that, so, apology accepted." She beamed. She then glanced at her personal tennis instructor and found him still staring at her expectantly.

"Uhm..." She stuttered again. She then saw his gaze flicker to the grey backpack behind her before coming to a realization. "Oh! Ahehe... You see, I wasn't sure if we were going to have a session today, so I didn't bring any gear." She said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"That is fine. Would you like to call off today's session?" Tezuka enquired although his voice remained monotonous.

"Err..." Reiko contemplated for a while, when a thought struck her. "Is that okay? I do have a lot of homework to finish today." She coyly sneaked a glance at the impassive boy and her face brightened when she saw him nod in approval.

"Cool! I mean! I'm not happy about missing out on a session, I'm disappointed that I won't get to spend the afternoon with you-I mean! Err... You know, with you, learning tennis. It's not like I'm trying to put it off because I'm being lazy, I just don't think it'll be possible without my gear. Not that I left it home on purpose, 'coz you know, I'll never do that..." Reiko babbled nervously. Tezuka merely kept a straight face as he waited for her to finish rambling.

"It's just that I really have heaps of things to do today so I said it'd be cool to cancel training today." She finally finished. Her cheeks burned upon realizing she'd just jabbered nonsensically in front of Tezuka Kunimitsu. /Way to make a fool of yourself, Reiko./ She scolded herself mentally.

"Would you like me to help?" Tezuka inquired, noticing that the raven-haired girl was so troubled by the amount of homework she had to do.

"Huh?" Reiko muttered, slightly taken aback by his offer.

"Do you need any assistance with your homework?" Tezuka asked.

"Oh! No, no! I don't want to waste your time that way!" Reiko declined.

"Homework is not a waste of time." He stated flatly.

"No, I didn't mean it that way!" Reiko stammered. "It's just, I don't want to take up your time with things like homework." She reasoned.

The raven-haired girl exhaled when she saw the stoic boy nod in understanding. She tried to steal a glance at his face once more and found he was still staring at her. His features remained unfazed yet his eyes still seemed... expectant. She thought hard for something else she must've forgotten, then her eyes bugged out when she remembered something that was of grave importance. The brownies. Of course, she was sure that Tezuka was not waiting for the brownies, but she still could not forgive herself for almost forgetting about it.

"Anou..." Reiko stammered, fidgeting with her fingers nervously. "Tezuka-san, err... See, I sort of got the impression that you were angry with me yesterday. So I sort of made you a peace offering in hopes that you'd forgive me." She explained, stumbling on her words.

"I'm not angry." Tezuka said dully, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah. I know that now, but I want to give you my peace offering anyway, since I did make it for you." She reluctantly fished a red plastic container from her grey backpack and held it out for Tezuka to take. She kept her head bowed low in embarrassment.

"Brownies," She heard him say and instantly her face brightened.

"You don't think they're cookies?" She asked, incredulous and disbelieving.

"Are they not brownies?" Tezuka asked, although his monotone voice made his question sound like a statement.

The golden glints in Reiko's amber eyes began twinkling as her tears started to well in delight. "I'm... just... err... happy... that you knew what they were straight away." She struggled to find the appropriate words. She found that there the look of expectation was no longer evident and that right now, as Tezuka opened the lid on the red Tupperware, his face was purely stoic. /Was that a coincidence? He couldn't have been expecting my cooki—brownies, right?/ She thought.

She watched in anticipation, as the bespectacled boy took a square from the batch and, without hesitation, took a small bite.

Tezuka did an excellent job of keeping his face blank despite having focused all his energy into that one bite. If felt like he'd broken four front teeth and 2 molars after 'gnawing' on the tough pastry. Keeping his face straight as he swallowed was harder than when he was chewing, but he did a superb job nonetheless. He fought the urge to rub his throat as looked at the raven-haired girl who stared up at him expectantly.

He contemplated on what to say, knowing that he would easily be caught if he lied. So in the end, the stoic tennis captain settled the only thing that was true, which was a monotonous "Thank You."

Reiko's lips hatched an elated smile upon hearing the words out of Tezuka's mouth. She would've jumped up and down on the spot, if the action wasn't so embarrassing and utterly mortifying.

"Anytime." Reiko welcomed. Tezuka felt his shoulders tense and his whole body stiffen.

"Anou Tezuka-san, I think I'll get going now. You know, homework." As soon as her voice rang in the air, the tense tennis captain started to ease.

"Aa..."

"Would you be staying for practice or going home?" Reiko inquired, curious.

It didn't take a second before Tezuka could reply. "I will be heading home." He said stiffly.

Reiko nodded. "I'll see you around then." Reiko bid before turning around to face the school building. Before she could walk off, she caught a glimpse of Tezuka's questioning face. She turned a hundred and eighty degrees to face her personal instructor once again.

"I think I may have left something inside." She explained. Tezuka curtly nodded in understanding before he raised his right hand to wave her goodbye.

After the impassive boy was out of sight, Reiko again turned around and kicked into 4th gear as she ran towards the south end of the school. As soon as she heard the faint and distinct sounds of tennis balls being hit, the raven haired girl broke into a slow jog. She stayed out of visible range for a few minutes to secretly observe her friends train. Her eyes scanned the tennis grounds in search for a particular person, and her lip slightly tugged downward when she realized he was nowhere to be found. She waited for the right moment, which was when the regulars and the varsity did their laps, before she stepped into the grounds and approached Ryuzaki-sensei was sitting on a bench. She was currently in a conversation with the team's resident data collector, and Reiko felt a cold sweat trickle down her spine after realizing talking to Ryuzaki-sensei would be harder than she thought.

She inhaled deeply before clearing her throat to make her presence known.

"Ryuzaki-sensei..." She called, interrupting the pink-clad coach and Inui's conversation.

"Ah! Reiko-chan!" The elder coach's voice sounded surprised but pleased. "No session today?" She asked.

"No, there was a small misunderstanding. I didn't bring my gear." Reiko explained abruptly. She then noticed the sinister gleam in Inui's glasses as she saw him scribbling on madly on his trusty green notebook.

"Is everything alright?" The tennis coach asked, concerned.

"Yeah. Everything is fixed now." Reiko reassured. She eyed the data man again and saw that he was struggling to keep himself from cackling as he wrote maniacally on his notebook. She chose to ignore him. "Uhm... Fuji isn't here?" She assumed with uncertainty.

The aged coach fought to keep her face straight as a mischievous smile prodded the corners of her mouth. "No. He excused himself from training today. He says he had to go home early." Reiko nodded comprehensively upon hearing the coach's answer. The elder woman saw the evident brightness on the girl's face and couldn't resist the devious smile any longer. "Why?" She pressed.

"Oh, nothing important." Reiko replied furtively.

"Hm?" Ryuzaki-sensei raised a brow.

"Err... Well I'll be going on my way now. Can't keep my homework waiting!" Reiko bid abruptly, sensing the coach's interrogating gaze and her impending doom if the regulars and her friends catch her. She bowed curtly to the elder coach, and then to Inui, before taking her leave.

"Hmmm..." Ryuzaki-sensei thought, suspicious.

"Ii data..." Inui cackled.

**--Hasegawa Household--**

"Tadaima!" Reiko announced upon entering her house. Upon hearing her distinct voice, a loud, excited bark responded.

"Hey Krypto. What have you been up to today?" She asked the large Samoyed while petting its head affectionately.

"Woof!" The dog responded eagerly, like his master could understand his language.

"You're home early, dear?" Mrs. Hasegawa acknowledged from the living room. The middle aged woman turned the volume of the television before approaching her daughter.

"Yeah... My private session was cancelled today." She informed. Her mother nodded in understanding.

"Well... I'll go do my homework now." She said, a bit too eagerly, before charging up the stairs and into her room, leaving her dumbfounded mother staring at her back.

**--Reiko's Room—**

As soon as she entered her room, Reiko propped her bag down on the floor and then hurried to her bathroom to get out of her uniform. After putting a slightly oversized grey t-shirt and black trackpants on, she then proceeded to the peer out the glass window, which was also the sliding door to her balcony, to find her brown-haired friend in front of his study desk, while typing away on his laptop. She felt the corners of her lips twitch as she slid the door open and headed out her balcony.

Her smile slipped a little when she noticed Fuji's window closed shut. He seemed far too engrossed in whatever it was he was doing on his laptop to notice her standing there. After a few seconds of thinking, she snapped her fingers at an idea before heading back inside her room. Taking her black mobile phone, she dialled a few buttons and walked out to her balcony once again. An impish grin occupied her face as she waited for the person to pick up on the other line, all the while keeping her gaze on the window across her.

Her grin stretched when she saw her learning partner shift his gaze from the computer screen to the silver mobile phone beside it. She cleared her throat to rid her voice of mischief as soon as he picked up the device and read the caller I.D. before sliding and placing the phone on his ear.

"Hello." The smooth voice greeted.

"Oi, Fuji. What's up?" Reiko asked, trying to force her voice to sound inquiring.

"The ceiling." He said nonchalantly. He then pressed a button on the device, then placed it back on his desk, before perching his head on his left hand, while his right manoeuvred the touchpad.

"Skip training today?" Reiko asked, this time faking a disappointed tone.

"I should ask you the same question. Send Tezuka to the dentist before your session?" He teased whilst browsing on the internet.

"Ugh." She scoffed. "For you information, Tezuka-san loved my brownies. At least _he_ wasn't stupid enough to mistake them as cookies." She chided. She then saw Fuji's head tilt upward before leaning it on his hand again.

"That's good news." He said, again going back to his computer screen.

"Uh-huh." She said flatly. Getting bored, Reiko decided it was time to put the jig up. "Hey Fuji... Are you watching porn?" She accused, her voice outrageously loud.

If only she saw how the tennis prodigy's eyes snapped wide open at her wild allegation, she would be laughing her head off by now. Fuji heard the line click before swivelling his computer chair to face his window. He then saw his raven-haired friend waving at him from her balcony, a smirk on her face and her mobile phone in hand. He allowed his smile to stretch wider as he headed out his balcony.

"Yes. I was happily watching pornographic videos before your untimely interruption." Fuji stated, while his face remained unreadable.

"Right." Reiko said dryly.

"So, is Tezuka with the dentist right now?" Fuji asked jokingly.

Reiko rolled her eyes. "No. I cancelled training today since I didn't have any gear." She explained.

Fuji arched a brow.

"Well, I told him I have heaps of homework to do, so he let me off." She expounded. The tennis prodigy crossed his arms and looked thoughtful.

"So shouldn't you get started on your homework?" He taunted.

"Tch. Yeah right." She scoffed. "Listen," She started. "Remember how you asked to try my personal agility program?" She asked, her voice suspenseful. Fuji nodded before she continued. "Well, how 'bout it? Tonight, you and me, I did say I'll be your personal agility coach." She suggested.

"Tonight?" Fuji repeated, remembering the orange note his sister had left him that morning. He would've automatically answered 'yes' without hesitation, _if_ it were any other night. He saw his companion nod, before sighing deeply.

"I'm afraid my evening is booked." He informed, not failing to see the expectant expression on the pale girl's face falter a little. "Raincheck?" He asked sounding hopeful.

"Oooh... I don't know, I'm a pretty busy person." Reiko jeered, although her statement was half-true. She sneaked a glance at an amused Fuji's face before speaking. "What the heck. When?"

"Whenever." Fuji replied casually. "As long as it's not tonight." He repeated.

"Right. Whenever. Well how about-" The raven-haired girl was about to set a date when a resounding 'Ding' interrupted her.

/Must be Yuuta./ Fuji assumed mentally. "We'll talk about it later, ne, Hasegawa-san? I think my 'evening' is just about to start." Fuji informed. He gave his learning partner an abrupt wave before jogging out his room to get the door.

"Sure." Reiko replied nonchalantly as she stared at the brown-haired boy's retreating back. "Great. Now I really have to do homework." She muttered to herself wryly before entering her own room.

**--Dinnertime at the Fuji household--**

"So, how is St. Rudolph's, Yuuta?" Fuji Yumiko asked, her attempt for small talk.

The youngest of the Fuji siblings was on the verge of devouring a slice of his beef cutlet when his older sister's question intervened. "Eh? It's okay I guess." He answered quickly before popping the helpless slice of beef in his mouth.

"Any girlfriends yet?" Syuusuke asked in a teasing tone, making their youngest choke.

Yuuta scrambled for water, while his sister rubbed his back. When his hand was finally able to find his glass, he gulped down all its contents in one swig.

"What kind of question is that, Aniki?" Yuuta asked, annoyed.

"A simple one." Came his older brother's casual reply.

"Well, if it's so simple you wouldn't mind if I ask you, right?" the youngest retorted sharply.

"Sure." Syuusuke consented, unfussed.

"Well?" Yuuta asked, impatiently.

"Well, aren't you going to ask me?" The older of the brothers asked, cavalier.

Yuuta rolled his eyes. "Any girlfriend yet, Aniki?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Nope. No one yet." He flashed his younger brother an innocent smile, provoking his short-temper even more.

While her two brothers were still in high spirits, and before all hell broke loose, Fuji Yumiko finally decided to prolong the matter no further. She cleared her throat and waited for her two brothers to settle, well actually only one was in need of taming, before deciding to break the news to them.

"Otousan has come home." She revealed.

The piece of squid that Yuuta thought was secure in his mouth, fell unto his plate as his jaw dropped. Yumiko eyed her other brother and found he had put his chopsticks down, cerulean eyes distant as he waited for someone to speak.

Fuji silently recounted his morning at home that day. He remembered the orange note, and finally pieced the mystery together. /_'Come home early', _Yuuta coming home.../ He went through the evidence in his head, all the while resisting the urge to clench and unclench his fist. /No wonder there was a bribe./ He thought bitterly.

"When?" The youngest finally asked after recovering from shock.

"Just today. He's staying with Okaasan, at the _house._" She finished, eyeing her azure-eyed brother warily now.

"How long?" Yuuta managed to ask. Clearly, he would be the only one asking all the questions tonight.

"Only for a week, then back to business." Yumiko informed. Her careful gaze never left the older of the brothers, while the younger of the two could only do the same.

"He would like to discuss something with you, Syuusuke." Yumiko continued. "He would like you to come to the house. _Tomorrow._" She finished, eyeing her brother anxiously now. Yuuta gulped, although it felt like he'd just swallowed a rock.

"May I be excused." His voice was even, and his expression remained unfazed, but the effervescent smile had disappeared from Fuji Syuusuke's face.

The oldest of the siblings permitted his request with a silent nod.

**--Fuji's Room--**

Fuji stared blankly at his computer screen, mentally mulling over that evening's events. He tapped his index finger on the desk in frustration. Then when he grew sick of the bright computer screen, he lay down on his bed and stared at his pale blue ceiling. After crumpling his beddings with his tossing and turning, the tennis prodigy sighed and pulled himself off the double-sized bed. He glanced at the white wall clock, it was half past eight, before trudging to a large cupboard at one corner of his room. He took the stainless steel ladder that was folded on the bottom shelf, then heaved a deep sigh as he walked across his room and out the balcony.

Unfolding the ladder, he positioned it securely before he took the 5 easy steps toward his raven-haired friend's balcony. He peered into the room and found her in and Indian sit on the floor, her back leaned on the foot of her bed while she typed away on the notebook on her lap. Again he took a deep sigh, before knocking gently on her window.

Reiko tilted her head up at the sound, then gazed outside her window to find the brown-haired tennis prodigy standing outside, his shoulders slightly slumped. She placed the laptop on her bed before sliding the door open, not expecting to meet his grave sapphire eyes.

"What's up?" She inquired, the concern in her voice evident.

"Just bored." The tennis prodigy replied while managing to flash a meek smile.

"Uh-huh. Sure." She said flatly. "What's bothering you?" She asked, unleashing the full force of her probing and worried eyes on her learning partner.

"Nothing important." He replied listlessly, taking a few steps back for he could not withstand the weight of her stare.

"Right." She said wryly. Crossing her arms, she said, "Well, if you don't wanna tell me, it's cool. Who am I right?" Fuji snapped his head up, appalled by her question. "But if you're gonna come here, please don't come knocking on my door looking like _that_." She demanded, sounding convulsed as she pointed accusingly at the tennis prodigy's face.

Fuji felt his face flinch slightly at the touch of the cool hands that cupped it.

"You're gonna kill my good mood. If you're gonna come here..." Reiko began. "You have to look like _this_." She directed, stretching his cheeks upward. She let out a light chuckle before continuing.

"And you're eyes have to be curved, like _this_." She instructed, this time tugging down on the corners of his eyes until they were but slits in size. Her chuckles grew louder now.

"You're not allowed to look like _this_. You have to look like _this_, or like _this, _or like this." She continued muddling and contorting the tennis prodigy's face, laughing all the while, before she withdrew her hands to see the effervescent smile that was missing but has now returned.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as Reiko's laughter started to quiet down.

"Ne, Hasegawa-san." Fuji started. "About your training program..."

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking about that raincheck." He said.

"What about it?" Reiko asked, expectant.

Fuji took a deep breath locking his azure eyes on her amber ones.

"How about _tomorrow_?"

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys, I hope you wouldn't mind that I will be giving Fuji a background story. I mean, it is fanfiction right? It's not going to be a full on BIG change. I really hope no one minds.

Tezuka and Fuji are no longer in denial! YAY! Thank you Fuji Syuusuke.

"I shall forever hate you for picking the chicken over our friendship."-- This line just stuck with me! LOL!

Also I will not be updating for a while, probably a month. School has just gotten way harder, so I'll be buried in homework pretty much. I should be doing some right now, but meh...

For the people who guessed 'Brownies' in the previous chapter! BINGO! We have a winner!

Alright, shout-outs!...

**fujilovesme-** Aw.. Well, Tezuka _was_ hurt. So, his actions were a bit justifiable right?

**Lia- **People never cease to amaze me when they say "I read this in one sitting". A round of applause to you! I hope after this chapter the canons are still in character. I'm very flattered, thank you so much!

**akayuki-rin- **Wow, sometimes I think we operate on the same wavelenght. I already put the badminton thing there, I was well aware of that fun fact. Just in this case though, the wrist strength was a bit excessive. I mean it's good we baddy players are able to use that wrist power in baking, but... well, you saw what happens when you overbeat... LOL! Exactly, Rei never acts on the usual case.

**unknown player- **hahaha! I seem to have done an effective job on evening the odds. LOL, people used to only root for Tezuka before. Hooray! Now there are Fuji supporters as well!

**Charmane-** Hahaha, well, it _is _Reiko. Yeah, she is a bit dense. At least now she the only one. Tezuka and Fuji aren't in denial anymore. hahaha!

**Heart- **I think Fuji has well accepted his feelings by now. Same with Tezuka. They're both 'awake' now. Hahaha. Yeah I can't tell the diff without tasting either.

**Airashii Mochidzuki- **Thanks, 2 days. Was that soon enough? I won't be updating for a while though. Yeah, Fuji's sharp. Long live the Martyrs! Woot!

**BloodNinja555-** Ah well, some damage to the front teeth and molars. How bad can it be? LOL.

**Otakugal- **Yup! Bingo! Hence "BoT", Battle of the Tensais. Fuji's not putting much of a fight right now though.

**invisible-gurl- **Nah, Tezuka doesn't get sick. I think... Few toothaches maybe.

**xquisittexabie- **Yeah, it is. Suck it up Fuji!

**ani-sand- **Apparently, no. Reiko cannot bake. Hahaha! Fuji is being stupid, that's what he's doing.

**animeninja13- **Oh well, now you know. LOL! Lots of Fuji/Rei moments on this one too. LOL!

Alright well, that's all for now. Hope I see you all on my next update, though I'm not sure how long that will take! Btw? Did you try listening to the song while reading? It made me go emo... LOL!

**Don't Forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	22. Suspicious

**Author's Note:**

I finally got around to editing this. Even after just coming from a tournament! Hahahaha! I should probably get on with my homework now. My pillow looks so inviting!

Also, if I could ask you all a favour. If or when you have time, please do try reading my other story, "Deciphering an Enigma". It'll reaaaaaaaally make my day! Thanks!

**--**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Suspicious.

* * *

**--Fuji Household--**

Rubbing his eyes, Fuji Syuusuke stirred awake from his slumber, if you could call it that. The tumultuous night had aroused the insomniac inside him. He did not even spare himself a wink as he lay immersed in his thoughts. Groggily he stood up, and immediately vertigo swept over his body, causing him to lose his balance and fall back down on his bed. He attempted to stand again although this second time, he was more careful. Slowly he sat and waited for his head to stop spinning before standing on his feet once again. Feeling the nausea pass, he walked to the bathroom and searched the medicine cabinet for some aspirin. Finding the box, he popped two pills in his mouth, crunched on it, then swallowed it without water. The pill's bitterness somehow had a wakening effect and so helped him clear his head. Perhaps it was a psychological thing, but upon his intake, somehow, his heavy head felt slightly lighter.

He proceeded to take his morning shower, the water waking his tired and agitated nerves. He felt his muscles become alive as the cold water pelted his skin. After showering he brushed his teeth and then re-entered his room to get dressed for school. His arms felt unusually heavy that morning, and so, like his white polo shirt, he only buttoned his gakuran half way, leaving 4 buttons undone and slightly exposing the toned torso many would be surprised he actually had. He settled for towel-dried hair before heading downstairs to have breakfast.

Upon his descent he heard his sister and his younger brother in conversation.

"Yuuta, would you like a ride to school? It's quite late to catch public transportation." Yumiko asked.

"Yeah. Thanks onee-san." said the youngest Fuji. He was midway into biting on his toast when he noticed his older brother by the doorway. His jaw dropped upon observing his aniki's uncharacteristically dishevelled hair and uniform.

"Someone didn't sleep last night." He mumbled before proceeding to take a bite at his food.

Yumiko gave her brother a reprimanding look before turning to the older boy. "Ohayou, Syuusuke. What would you like for breakfast?" She inquired.

"Don't worry about cooking, nee-san. I'll have whatever is on the table." said Syuusuke. He sat down and took a piece of toast from a tray and munched on it silently.

"How dull." Yuuta commented, noting the plainness of his brother's toast. He then proceeded to scoop a hefty amount of peanut butter from a jar and then spread it evenly on his bread.

Again, Yumiko eyed her youngest brother in disapproval. "Syuusuke, I'm taking Yuuta to school. Would you like a ride as well?" She asked.

"No thanks, oneesan. It's out of the way. Besides, I can walk." He declined before standing to throw his unfinished breakfast in the bin then putting his plate in the dishwasher.

"I doubt it." Yuuta muttered, noticing the hobble on his brother's steps. "Jeez, aniki, how much sleep did you get last night?" He asked.

"None." The older of the brother's replied casually, causing his younger brother to choke on his toast.

"You know you don't have to go to school today, Syuusuke." Yumiko suggested.

"I know. But I prefer to." Syuusuke said. "I'll be off now." He informed. He took his school bag from the living room but remembered something before leaving the house. He trudged back to the dining area to call his sister's attention.

"Oh, nee-san. I'll be coming home late, so please don't wait up." He said, taking his sister by surprise.

"You made plans for tonight?" Yumiko asked. Yuuta eyed him incredulously.

"Yes." He merely shrugged.

"Syuu-" Yumiko began.

"I'm not asking for your permission, oneesan. I'm informing you." He cut off.

Yumiko sighed in resignation. "Alright, as long as you know what you're doing." She consented. The tennis prodigy managed to flash her half a smile.

"Mind if I ask where and who you'll be going with?" The oldest asked. "Just so I know what to tell otou-san."

"Well, I'm not actually sure where yet." He answered honestly. "But I'll be out with Reiko-san." He informed, catching both his brother and sister by surprise. The milk Yuuta was gulping down instantly spurted out of his nose upon hearing the revelation.

"Reiko?!" He stammered, wiping his nose and the mess on the table. "I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend?" He asked sceptically.

"I don't." Syuusuke answered casually.

"What does that mean?" Yuuta asked, confused.

"It means exactly what it's supposed to mean." Syuusuke answered, ruffling his brother's hair before taking his leave.

"Oi aniki!" Yuuta called out, annoyed.

**--Outside--**

Reiko had just finished locking up their front door when she heard the ruckus in his neighbour's house. / Is that another boy? / She wondered, distinguishing another male voice that resonated from the other house. She looked over to the Fuji household and found her brown-haired friend emerge from the door. At least she thought it was her friend. The tousled hair made her uncertain of his identity and so she walked closer to get a better look. When he turned she then realized that indeed, it was her new friend who had come out. He smiled upon noticing her presence. Reiko stared at him oddly.

"Ohayou, Hasegawa-san." Fuji greeted, walking up to his raven-haired friend. His blue eyes met her questioning amber ones as he did. "Ever been told it's rude to stare?"

Reiko smirked. Yup, it's Fuji alright. "Che... What, are you trying to go rebel now?" She said, noting his uncombed hair and undone uniform.

Fuji merely shrugged. "Doesn't it suit me?" He asked jokingly.

Reiko rolled her eyes. "Seriously Fuji, how much sleep did you get last night?" She asked.

"That bad, huh?" said the tennis prodigy.

"It's not so much that you look bad. You pull it off quite nicely, actually." Reiko said frankly. "It's your attitude that gets me."

The brown-haired boy arched his brow.

"I mean. Would Fuji Syusuke really want to go to school looking like _that_? You're like, coating yourself in breadcrumbs before a flock of ravenous seagulls."

"I'm afraid I'm not following you." The tennis prodigy admitted.

Reiko sighed and rolled her eyes. "Are you really going to make me say it?" She saw the dumbfounded look on Fuji's face and sighed again before continuing. "Dude, you look hot. Out of character but rugged actually suits you well. You seriously want the fan girl count to proliferate?"

Fuji was taken aback by his friend's straightforwardness and was only able to whisk his head to disagree.

"Thought so." Reiko said before putting her racquet bag down. She then proceeded to buttoning his polo shirt, leaving only two buttons undone. Fuji felt a familiar warmth course through his body when Reiko's hands unknowingly brushed his chest.

"Oop, static." She told him, referring to the tingling sensation she felt on her finger tips, before proceeding to buttoning up his gakuran. Fuji stiffly tried to keep his head up to prevent himself from being intoxicated by the scent of her hair.

/ What is that? Lavender? / He asked himself, trying to discern the floral fragrance.

"Oops." She said, causing the tennis prodigy to look down at her curiously. "I may have pulled on the button too strongly." She said nervously. She unclasped her hand to reveal the black button on her palm before peeking at her brown-haired companion. Fuji felt his uniform and found the button second to the top was missing.

"Don't worry about it." He said, smiling at her reassuringly before gently brushing her hands away. He then proceeded to trudge towards Seigaku.

"Oi, wait up." Reiko called. She eyed the button on her palm and thought / Meh, maybe he can get his sister to stitch it back later. / She put the button in the pocket of her bag before breaking into a jog so that she could catch up with the tennis prodigy.

Reiko then noticed the unusual wobble on her companion's strides. "You feeling alright?" She inquired.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Fuji assured.

Reiko squinted her eyes to examine him closely. "Oi Fuji, tell me the truth, how much sleep did you get last night?" She asked with a warning tone.

"None." Fuji casually replied, causing the raven-haired girl's jaw to drop.

"Are you for real? Maybe we should put off the agility training for another day." She suggested. Fuji stopped in his tracks to eye his amber-eyed friend. His cerulean eyes were akin to pleading.

"Today is perfect." He said. His penetrating eyes could only make the raven-haired girl nod.

"So what's been keeping Seigaku's tennis prodigy up all night?" Reiko asked in a lighter tone.

"Girls?"

Fuji smirked.

"Porn?" She teased.

"Honestly, Hasegawa-san, do you have an obsession with insisting I have a fetish for porn?"

Reiko merely shrugged.

"Guys?" She suggested with a devious tone.

Fuji stopped in mid-step to flash his companion a horrified look, causing Reiko to erupt in laughter.

"Hey, I'm only hypothesising. I mean, millions of girls swoon over you all the time, yet you still don't have a girlfriend. You gotta admit, it's a bit suspicious." She reasoned.

"I don't think you should be the one to talk, Hasegawa-san. I don't see you walking around with a significant other." Fuji countered.

"Well, I'm a different case." Reiko defended.

"Oh? How so?" Fuji asked, eyeing her expectantly while he waited for a proper reply.

"Well for one, I don't have guys swarming over me." Fuji arched his brow to eye her cynically. "What? You're not comparing my creepy secret admirer letters to your outrageous fan mail are you?" She questioned. She then scoffed upon seeing the guilty expression on her friend's face.

"Fans are fans. There better be a more reasonable excuse than that." said Fuji.

"Well... There is another one." Reiko stammered, catching the tennis prodigy's attention. "I'm waiting for someone." She confessed while fiddling with her fingers. Fuji was thankful she was looking down or she would've instantly seen his smile slip off his face.

"Oh?" He continued to probe.

"Whatever, don't turn this on me mister." She said, poking his chest with her bony index finger. "What about you? You better have a good excuse or I'll go around telling everyone in school you're batting for the other team." She threatened.

"I have a number of good excuses." Fuji stated.

"Alright, let's hear one then." Reiko challenged

"I already have my eyes set on someone." He revealed nonchalantly.

Clearly Reiko was not expecting his reply. Her eyes grew wide as saucers, while her jaw dropped all the way to the ground. Fuji merely chuckled at her reaction and pushed her fallen jaw up to close her gaping mouth. The amber-eyed girl quickly recovered and the look of intrigue instantly occupied her face.

"No way! Serious?" She said gawking in disbelief.

"Is it really that hard to believe?" Fuji asked, purposely giving her an indirect answer to taunt her further.

"GAH! Oh my God! Do I know her? Have you made a move? Is she even a girl? Fuji! Why haven't you told me?" Reiko fired away.

"There's no need to tell. It's unrequited." Fuji merely shrugged before continuing the walk to school.

"She turned you down?!" Reiko exclaimed incredulously. "Fuji Syuusuke, one of Seigaku's most eligible bachelors. Rejected?" She blurted.

"Well, not in a direct way. She likes someone else." The tennis prodigy revealed.

Reiko nodded in understanding. "Well, she's very smart." The raven-haired girl commended. "Kidding!" She took back, noticing her companion had stopped in his tracks. "In truth I think she's stupid, no offense." Reiko remarked.

Fuji chuckled again. "Oh I'm not offended." He stated, provoking the raven-haired girl's curiosity further.

"Does she go to our school?" Reiko investigated, still intrigued.

Fuji merely shrugged his shoulders.

"What the hell? Don't give me that!" Reiko protested. "Do I know who she is?" She attempted a different question.

Again she was answered by her friend's melodious laughter.

"Fuji!" She whined. "Alright, at least tell me this..." She began, Fuji eyed her expectantly. "Have you told her how you feel?" She questioned, now with a serious expression.

Fuji stretched his smile wider before he replied. "Nope. She has no idea." He answered, winking at his cooperative learning partner before walking off again.

Reiko's face fell. "Let me rephrase. She's not stupid, you are." She said flatly. So far she was doing a great job at entertaining the tennis prodigy, for again his musical chortle echoed in the air.

"I'm glad you think it's funny, Fuji." Reiko said sardonically. "Why haven't you told her?" She demanded.

"I do not find pleasure in confusing her." The brown-haired boy replied.

"Aha! So you admit it, you have a shot! You're just being a martyr!" Again Reiko found herself answered by a shrug.

"Ah well, maybe you and I could start a lonely hearts club." She resigned, knowing there was no arguing with Fuji Syusuke once he has made his mind. Unknown to the raven-haired girl, the words 'you and I' had tickled the tennis prodigy's ears.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Fuji played along, making his amber-eyed friend erupt in laughter.

An atmosphere of humour filled the air as the two learning partners continued their walk to school. Their boisterous laughter caused heads to turn their direction, and, by gaining the bystanders' attention, they also earned themselves peculiar looks.

"Alright, so you said you have a number of reasons. What are the others?" Reiko prodded as they entered the school's main entrance.

"I don't think I'm obligated to tell you. I think my first reason bests both of yours." The tennis prodigy replied casually before turning the corner to walk the fleet of stairs that lead to the senior corridor.

Reiko folded her arms and arched her brow. "Who the hell gave you the right to decide?" She demanded, stomping her way up.

The tennis prodigy came to a halt to eye his stubborn companion. The pout on her face was much too adorable and so made him erupt in laughter. Realizing how silly she was being, Reiko joined her companion for a chorus of hysterics. The surrounding people, who were previously engaged in their own private conversations, took notice of the scene, and soon the innocent bystanders turned into meddlesome gossipmongers. They stalked the tennis prodigy and his companion closely as they walked through the senior corridor.

Passing a row of lockers, Fuji recognised a familiar figure that was currently occupied with getting his combination lock to open. He tried hard to suppress his chuckle, for as soon as the person he was observing got the steel door to open, a deluge of envelopes, flowers and boxes came flooding out, flushing the suspecting yet unprepared fellow.

"Good morning, Tezuka. I say, you're lucky these roses have been 'de-thorned'." Fuji greeted, inspecting the white rose in his hand before placing it inside his stoic tennis captain's locker.

"Fuji." The impassive boy acknowledged monotonously.

"Ohayou, Tezuka-san." Reiko greeted, causing Tezuka to become stiffer than he already was.

"Aa. Ohayou, Hasegawa." Tezuka greeted before bowing down, making the raven-haired girl's pallid face turn crimson.

Immediately Fuji felt estranged amidst the two. Luckily his companions were too busy staring and stuttering to notice that his effervescent smile had faltered. The weight he'd thought he'd lifted off his shoulders came crashing down on him once again, crushing him as he felt out of place. Not wanting to be the third wheel, the tennis prodigy audibly cleared his throat to momentarily capture his companions' attentions.

"I know when I'm not wanted." He said in a pretentiously teasing tone. Reiko felt her cheeks burn furiously upon hearing her learning partner's statement. She thought about hissing at him, but how strange would that make her look.

The sadistic tensai turned to his stoic captain. "You know, Hasegawa-san and I were just talking about you." He said with an eerily devious smile. If Reiko were walking, she would've tripped. If she were eating, she would've choked. Luckily she was just standing, and so she only fell flat on her face.

"We were?!" Reiko yelped.

"Didn't you say you were waiting for Tezuka?" Fuji hinted, winking at his raven-haired friend.

"I was?" Reiko asked, now truly oblivious to what her learning partner was getting at.

"I think I hear Eiji calling. I'll see you in class, Hasegawa-san. See you, Tezuka." And all too abruptly, the tennis prodigy was gone, leaving a deeply flushed Reiko staring at her feet.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Hasegawa?" Tezuka asked, remembering the last thing the tennis prodigy revealed.

"Anou..." Reiko fumbled with her fingers. She hastily tried to rack her brain for an excuse, any excuse. Finding none, she smiled sheepishly and settled for an "I forgot." She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment then slowly trudged to the location of her locker.

Although he did not show it, the stoic tennis captain felt mild disappointment flit within him. He secured his locker shut before automatically trailing after the raven-haired girl in usual silence. He watched her dial her combination lock with variability, turning a few revolutions clockwise, then counter-clockwise, then clockwise again. Upon finally getting the door to open, she put her racquet bag on the ground before proceeding to take her essentials. He inspected the inside of her organized locker, noting the familiar black and white binders that resembled that of a keyboard's keys. He then, by a fraction of a millimetre, frowned upon seeing the dozen or so envelopes sitting messily on her locker's shelves. Instantly, the frown disappeared when he saw her take a plastic sack out of her racquet bag to quickly put the envelopes inside, not even bothering so much as to give it a glance.

Reiko grumbled upon having to tidy her locker that early in the morning. She then sighed in relief once she'd finished placing every envelope inside the plastic, then proceeded to taking the books she needed out of her locker. She held the bag of 'rubbish' with her left hand, and used the same arm to cradle her books and binders while her right took them from the locker. She discovered her left arm's weight limit when a thick science textbook she took out from a shelf slid off her already full arm mere seconds after placing it there. The stoic tennis captain was easily able to catch the science book before it could fall on the ground. He took the initiative to carry the raven-haired girl's books, like the gentleman that he was. Of course, as usual, she protested, but after one stern look the raven-haired girl's stuttering mouth was silenced.

"So... This is my stop." Reiko declared, taking her books from the stoic boy who willingly handed it to her only after they had arrived her classroom. "Thanks for carrying my books, Tezuka-san." She bowed and bade him goodbye before entering the room.

Upon sliding the door open, ear splitting wails immediately escaped from the classroom door, causing the ochre-eyed girl to wince.

/ What the hell?! / She exclaimed, noticing the herd of people that crowded in the room. She pushed her way through the crowd to get to her seat, then she became aware of what all the commotion was about. There next to her empty seat, sat a sleeping Fuji Syusuke, his head rested on the back of his palm as he snoozed, oblivious to the camera flashes and the squealing fan girls he had assembled.

"KYAAA! KAWAIIIIII! FUJI-SAMA!" One shrieked, further banging on Reiko's ear drums.

"Damn seagulls..." She grumbled under her breath as she proceeded to take a seat on her assigned table.

She then noticed the troublesome trio (Kikumaru, Ayumi and Chiharu) occupying the seats in front of theirs. They faced backwards so that they were facing the slumbering tennis prodigy. She noted that her two girl friends, Ayumi and Chiharu, both had contemplative looks on their faces, as if observing the sadistic tensai was the same as answering one of Sato-sensei's maths tests, while the redhead had an impish grin on his face. She rolled her eyes upon seeing the acrobatic player squeak a delighted "Nya!" as he snapped his fingers, before reaching for his bag to get a black marker. Reiko had to admit, she too wanted to see how her learning partner's face would turn out after being vandalised by the obviously artistically-challenged redhead, which was why she made no effort whatsoever to stop him from committing such a despicable act.

Despite the piercing glares and death threats from Fuji's loyal supporters, Kikumaru payed them no heed. The tip of the texter were mere centimetres away from violating the tennis prodigy's face when-

"I wouldn't even think about it." warned the still seemingly slumbering tennis prodigy, causing the redhead to recoil and the raven-haired girl to fall from her seat in shock.

"What the-? Is he sleeping?" Reiko asked to no one in particular as she waved her hand in front of the tensai's face. Getting no reaction, she assumed he was.

"I swear on Eiji's grave, Fuji Syuusuke is not human." She stated, earning a squeak of protest from the offended redhead.

There was another camera flash before a thunderous cry of devastation reverberated throughout the entire of Seigaku. Recovering from the blow, Reiko rubbed her ears before peering from at the culprit. Rather than an overjoyed fan girl, Reiko found a distressed and shattered one. The fan girl's mouth was wide ajar as she reviewed the photo on her digital camera in tears.

"It's missing!" The crying fan girl shrieked. She pointed to the screen on her digital camera before the rest of the fan club closed in to get a better look. After a few seconds, an explosion.

"KYAAAA!" The seagulls—fan girls—screamed in unison. All too suddenly, the flock evacuated to the nearest toilets, leaving but a cloud of dust in trail.

"What was that about?" Reiko asked, aiming her question at her three friends. Kikumaru looked just as clueless as she was, but her two friends remained unfazed as they held the same pensive expressions.

"Aha!" Chiharu finally exclaimed.

"Did you notice it too, Chiharu?" Ayumi asked. A gut feeling told her that she and her hazel-eyed friend were operating at the same wavelength at that moment.

"Second to the top?" Chiharu asked Ayumi, who nodded in confirmation. Kikumaru and Reiko could only look at each other in confusion.

"It's more serious than we thought." Ayumi stated. Chiharu nodded in agreement. The former stood up and marched toward the door while the hazel-eyed girl followed in tow. Just before they reached the door, Chiharu walked backwards to the dumbfounded Kikumaru, grabbed him by the collar before leaving Fuji and Reiko in the now desolate classroom.

The tennis prodigy stirred awake, as if on cue, just as Kawasaki-sensei entered the classroom. The homeroom adviser was bewildered find his room silent, and was even more stunned to find it empty.

Placing his items down the teacher's table he asked, "Where did everyone go?"

Fuji merely shrugged, not knowing himself. He then turned to his raven-haired seatmate and found a look akin to jubilant as he noted her wide delighted smile.

"Yay! Free homeroom period!" Reiko elatedly declared, clapping her hands while she did.

**--Dismissal Time--**

"Alright class. Don't forget, next week is Mixed Clubs day, you know the rules. You are not allowed to compete in the sport of the club you are in. Be sure that before the end of the week, you and your partner have decided what sport to participate in. Now that the CLP is in place, every pair must sign up for the same activity or activitie_s_ together." Kawasaki-sensei reminded, concluding his last period English with a homeroom announcement.

Fuji blew on the stray strands of hair on his face as he waited patiently for his raven-haired friend who packed her things while chatting with her two friends. Although he did not show it, his excitement made him uncharacteristically impatient that day, and so when he realized it would take Reiko a century to finish, he sighed deeply before dragging himself up from his seat to help her pack. Reiko didn't seem to mind and willingly allowed him to help.

"Oh yeah, you sure you wanna watch today? I can come home first before and just meet you there." Reiko asked, pausing from her conversation with the girls to eye the tennis prodigy expectantly. 

Ayumi and Chiharu exchanged curious looks before deciding to listen in on the learning partners' conversation.

Fuji was currently trying to convince a stubborn zipper on Reiko's bag to come to a close. Realizing the pocket was too full to be sealed, he removed its contents to organize them so that the zipper would close up.

"I think it's more time efficient if we head off from TSAC." Fuji said while taking Reiko's mobile phone from her desk to hand it to her.

She gladly took the phone to place it in her pocket before replying. "I'm just saying. You'll be on your butt for two hours without anything to do." She grabbed her pencil case to place it in the pocket of her bag.

Fuji merely shrugged. "I don't mind. I'll watch. And if I get bored I'll do homework." He picked up the small notepad on her desk to place it in the bag's pocket before walking to the door, deciding Reiko was capable enough to finish packing the remaining items herself.

Reiko grabbed the last thing on her desk, which was her handkerchief, and stuffed it in her pocket. Realizing it looked too bulky with her mobile phone already occupying most of the pocket space, she took the hanky out to place it in her bag. Her attention was caught by a round, black, item that slipped out of her hanky. Ayumi and Chiharu's eyes widened upon its sight.

"Oops." She said as she bent down to pick it up. She again enveloped it in her handkerchief before putting it in a side pocket.

"Oi! Wait up!" She called as she trailed after him. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Reiko said hastily before jogging to keep up with the tennis prodigy.

The two friends looked at each other with eyes wide from realization.

"The Dai-ni button!" They chorused.

**--Tokyo Sports and Aquatic Centre--**

Reiko and Fuji both greeted the usual receptionist upon their entry to the sports centre, then after they continued with their 'discussion' about Mixed Club day.

"So, what sport did you wanna play?" Reiko asked.

"Hmm... well, last time I played curling..." Fuji said with a thoughtfully expression.

"Curling?" She said in a disbelieving tone, one of her brows was now arched upward. "And how did that go?"

"I won, actually. No one else participated." He replied casually.

"I should have figured as much." Reiko mumbled. "So I'm guessing you're playing to win, am I right?"

"No. This time I'm all about the fun." He said, rounding down the corner which led to the badminton hall. They continued to discuss the matter as they pushed through the glass door. They then realised they were the first to arrive when they saw Rexy-sensei still coaching two elementary school boys in one of the courts, none of Reiko's teammates in sight.

"Hello Reiko-senpai!" The two boys chorused. Reiko gave them an acknowledging wave before heading to the bleachers to put her items down.

"Ah! Fuji-kun! I'm glad to see you here again!" Rexy-sensei greeted upon seeing the tennis prodigy alongside his badminton protégé. He finished his session with the two boys by making them play a singles game.

"Don't forget to stretch and cool down after." He reminded them before walking up to the two learning partners. His trainees chorused an obedient "Hai" before proceeding with their game.

"Hello, Rexy-sensei. How are you today?" Fuji greeted while placing his bag down on the bleacher, Reiko did the same motion with her racquet bag.

"Not bad, not bad. What brings you here?" He asked the tennis prodigy. Reiko gave Fuji a warning look, motioning him not to reveal anything about her 'secret agility regime'.

"Just watching." Fuji replied. The badminton coach's mouth formed an 'O' as he nodded.

"What a supportive boyfriend you are." Rexy-sensei nudged the tennis prodigy's arm playfully. Reiko, instantly choked on, well, nothing except her own saliva upon hearing what her coach said, in turn, the badminton coach eyed her oddly. Face flushed, she warily sneaked a glance at her learning partner then felt herself sigh in relief when she saw he wasn't bothered by her coach's statement.

"You're early for once. Maybe I should ask Fuji-kun to come with you all the time. That'll make sure you're never late." He greeted her. Reiko merely shrugged as she fished a hair tie from her bag.

"I'll go check on the boys for a bit. Go do some footwork drills for warm-up." He instructed the raven-haired girl before he left.

"Hai." Reiko replied obediently.

She finished tying her hair and proceeded to unzip her skirt. Slightly flushed, the tennis prodigy instantly tried to look for something else to look at. He felt himself sigh in relief when he realized Reiko was actually wearing skorts underneath her skirt. She lifted her school uniform to reveal the form-fitting, sleeveless sports top she had underneath. Fuji felt his breath get caught as he marvelled over her lean musculature. He deprived himself of the urge to wrap her in an embrace as he watched the halogen lights make her look somewhat ethereal while it reflected on her porcelain skin.

"Hey Fuji, you mind helping me warm up?" Reiko asked, interrupting the tennis prodigy from his musings.

"Yes ma'am." Fuji saluted stiffly. Reiko rolled her eyes before taking a racquet out and hopping on the court closest to them. She turned around and motioned Fuji to follow her onto the court. They used one side. She went to the centre and instructed Fuji to stand at the middle, just by the net, facing her.

"All you have to do is point." She stated. The tennis prodigy gave her an obedient nod.

"There are six points. The forehand and backhand sides of the front court, mid-court, and back courts. You can point at any of the six sides, but you have to wait for me to just get right back in the middle before pointing to another area." She explained. Again, Fuji nodded in comprehension.

"After 12 points, we'll take a 20 second break before going again. We're doing it ten times through, alright?"

"Got it." Fuji affirmed. Reiko got into position and the warm-up drill commenced.

Fuji again marvelled at his learning partner's agility. He was awed by how nimble she was despite having to lounge from point to point. Reiko made the drill look so easy, and Fuji wondered if it was. He then thought otherwise, after noticing his learning partner's intakes of breaths had become more ragged after the second round.

/ But still, it's not hard enough. / He thought, smirking as an idea formulated in his head.

They began their third round normally, Reiko easily keeping up with Fuji's pointing. Another smirk crept across the tensai's face as he watched his learning partner hover back to the centre and already anticipating his next instruction. He delayed his pointing for a little while, and then rotated his wrist before quickly indicating an area, deceiving Reiko to run to the opposite side.

"Che..." Reiko muttered before smirking to accept his challenge. Fuji continued to try to deceive her with his pointing. The raven-haired girl got used to it after a while, the frequency of her being deceived decreased each round. She would let out an abrupt and flustered "Gah!" whenever she would fall for his trick, making the tennis prodigy chuckle silently.

Reiko concentrated on Fuji's hand so hard that she failed to notice that her teammates had already arrived. She was oblivious to the amused faces that watched her as she now struggled to keep up with Fuji. She only became aware of her spectators when she heard their applause at the end of her drill.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Rei would be struggling with an agility exercise." Shoji teased as Reiko approached her teammates. The raven-haired girl gave her senpai a death glare before gulping down the water from her bottle.

"It's true Rei! You looked like a flying chicken rather than the soaring eagle." Mariko added.

"Reiko the flying chicken. It has such a nice ring to it, ne?" Karin added. Reiko was about to give the emerald-eyed girl a murderous glare when she found her already fawning over the brown-haired tennis prodigy.

"Fuji-kun! How nice of you to come!" She squealed while latching on to his arm. The tennis prodigy winced at the sound of the high-pitched voice.

Fuji let out a nervous chuckle. "How are you, Karin-senpai?" Fuji asked. Reiko spat the water she was drinking as she erupted in laughter.

"Senpai?" Karin asked, horror-struck. "Now now Fuji-kun, I'm only older by a few months! No need for the honorific!" She insisted. The brown-haired boy merely nodded awkwardly.

"Put a sock in it." Nicholas muttered monotonously before starting to jog around the hall. Karin merely stuck her tongue out at him as she continued to flock about the tennis prodigy.

"Shouldn't you be warming up now, Karin?" Yui asked with a threatening tone. She dragged the green-eyed girl by her ear before she could further complain.

Everyone proceeded to warm up, leaving the learning partners in silence.

**--Laps--**

"Oi Ryou, did you see?" The burly boy, Ansei, asked.

"You mean 'didn't see'." The boy with the orange tips winked, realizing what their eldest teammate was referring to. Seeing the burly boy nod, Ryoutaro looked around to see his other teammates, except Nicholas and Karin, nodding as well.

"Our Rei-chan is growing up!" Mariko exclaimed.

"And we must see to it that our youngest grows up 'accordingly'." Shoji added. The senior players then all cracked mischievous grins before increasing their strides to a running pace in excitement.

"Oh boy..." Yui muttered before she herself upped her pace.

"Jeez... Why is everyone in high spirits today?" Karin whined, complaining for having to increase her pace to keep up.

"Bludger..." Nicholas muttered before speeding off.

**--After Training--**

"Alright people, good work!" Rexy-sensei commended, gathering his team together to conclude training. "As long as you keep it up, I'm sure everyone will do extremely well in the selection tournaments."

Everyone became silent upon hearing 'selection tournaments'. Rexy-sensei noticed the building anxiety in everyone's faces and so decided to prolong the matter no further.

"As you all know, the first selection tournament for the national junior squad kicks off next month." Everyone shuddered at the badminton coach's announcement, already knowing what he meant. Over the following weeks, training is going to be hell.

"That said, I'll be declaring the line up. Remember that this is only my suggestion, if you want to play in another event or team up with someone else, its fine by me." The badminton coach stated. Everyone looked at one another and smirked, they all silently agreed that Rexy-sensei knew best, who would dare to disagree?

"Ansei and Ryou, you guys will be teaming up for doubles." Rexy-sensei declared, the two boys exchanged high-fives while everyone merely rolled their eyes. "Again." The coach added dryly.

"Since it's your last year, I'll let you play singles as well." Rexy-sensei told the burly boy who nodded gratefully.

"Ryou, no singles for you this year. You're playing mixed with Yui." Rexy-sensei stated.

"Hai! I suck at singles anyway." Ryoutaro was more than happy to agree, while a helpless expression occupied Yui's face. Sighing, she resigned and agreed to the arrangement.

"Yui, I'm putting you in all events, doubles with Mariko. Is that alright?" The coach asked.

"Yeah, why not." Yui agreed before the badminton coach proceeded.

"Mariko, singles and doubles for you this year?" Rexy-sensei was answered by an enthusiastic nod from the bouncy girl.

"Shoji, singles and doubles with Nick." Rexy-sensei declared.

"Oh yeah! I'm gonna kick ass at doubles this year!" Shoji exclaimed, clearly satisfied with his coach's arrangement. Nicholas merely shrugged.

"Nick, you're happy to play all events?" Rexy-sensei asked, and was answered by a curt nod.

"Alright, then doubles with Shoji, singles, and mixed... with Karin." Rexy-sensei revealed. Everyone seemed to have frozen, except for Reiko, in shock. So far, the foreign badminton coach has kept with the usual arrangements. Sure he gave some of them a few extra events to play in, but the sudden change of pairing came as a shock to everyone. Nicholas and Reiko had been dominating the mixed doubles event of their age bracket since they were 10, why the sudden change?

"I'm playing mixed with _him_?" Karin asked, appalled.

"I said it was only a suggestion. If you have any problems, you can bring it up with me." Rexy-sensei reminded. "So is there a problem?" He asked.

Everyone eyed Karin expectantly before she stuttered her reply. "No, Rexy-sensei. You know better." The emerald-eyed girl complied. "Eww..." She shuddered as she eyed the placid boy from where she sat.

"Alright then. So Karin, you're playing mixed and singles, unless you wanna play doubles?" Everyone snickered upon seeing the horrified expression on the said girl's face. She was sure Rexy-sensei didn't intend for her to play with a girl from another club, and there was only one person left to pair up with if she was to play in the doubles event.

"Oh God no!" Reiko and Karin chorused, both revolted by the idea.

"Okay. No doubles for Karin or Reiko." The badminton coach agreed, smirking. "Finally, Rei, just singles this year?" The badminton coach asked. He disguised the hopeless tone in his voice fluently, but the expression on his face that wished she said otherwise betrayed him. Everyone eyed Reiko, both curious and expectant.

The raven-haired girl merely shrugged her shoulders before replying. "Hai." She answered in a sing-song voice.

The foreign badminton coach sighed in resignation before jotting the arrangements down. "Alright. Well now that's settled, everyone can go cool down." Rexy-sensei instructed before leaving his team to start doing their nomination forms.

"Only singles this year?!" Mariko asked Reiko disbelievingly as they stretched.

"Yup." Reiko said simply as she extended her right leg to reach for her toe with her left hand.

"Why?" Yui asked the question that played in everyone else's minds. The raven-haired girl merely shrugged.

As she stretched her leg, the amber-eyed girl discretely exchanged glances with her stoic, former mixed partner. Of course the tennis prodigy didn't fail to notice this, and he himself became curious. Now he was sure that Reiko had convinced her coach to allow her to solely play singles this year. He then wondered if there was a reason behind it.

Sighing in resignation, Shoji thought of another question to ask. "So, Rei... Are you going home yet?" The tanned boy asked. Reiko was oblivious to the hint of mischief in her senpai's question. Everyone's ears perked as they awaited their youngest member's reply.

"Nope. I still have training with Fuji." She stated. Karin, whom a while ago couldn't care less, snapped her head up to glare at the raven-haired girl.

"Training?" Ansei and Ryoutaro repeated, intrigued. Reiko merely nodded with a smug smile on her face.

"Tennis training?" Mariko asked.

"Nope."

"So what kind of training then?" Yui asked, finally giving in to her own curiosity.

"Agility training." Reiko finally revealed, her elfin grin stretched a mile wider.

Everyone exchanged dumbfounded looks, except for the stoic Nicholas. The placid boy, who was a few moments ago, drinking water from his bottle, now choked on it as he spat it out. No one but Reiko was able to read the silent horror in Nicholas' eyes as he eyed the tennis prodigy.

"What's wrong with him?" Karin asked. Everyone shrugged. Reiko resisted the urge to erupt in laughter.

"Alright, well. We'll be off then." Reiko declared, standing up after finishing her stretches. She headed to the bleacher where her things and Fuji sat. She slung the large racquet bag on her shoulders before proceeding to the girl's locker room to get changed.

"I hope you brought shoes." Nicholas told Fuji monotonously after he noted the leather shoes on Fuji's feet. The tennis prodigy raised his brows, wondering if the impassive boy knew what her learning partner had in store for him. He decided to shrug the curiosity away as he walked alongside the placid boy to the men's locker room.

**--After A Few Minutes--**

"You ready?" Reiko asked, a smirk playing on her lips as she eyed the casual clothing Fuji was now wearing.

The tennis prodigy felt relieved upon noting the casual clothing his learning partner wore herself. At least he was properly attired. He took the large bag on her shoulders and slung it on his, Reiko was slightly taken aback by his notion, but allowed him to carry her bag without protest.

"Where to?" He asked. Reiko's smirk grew wider.

"We'll take the tram to Tokyo Central, I can't be stuffed walking." Reiko declared as she led the way to the nearest tram stop. The brown-haired boy grew more curious upon hearing where they were headed.

/ How would you train at a shopping centre? / He asked himself, now sensing the growing apprehension inside him. / Fuji Syusuke, what did you get yourself into? /

Realizing he was past the point of no return, Fuji helplessly followed his raven-haired friend on to the tram as it sped away to the shopping district.

**--A few more minutes later--**

Reiko struggled to refrain from laughing as she subtly eyed the wary and clueless expression that lingered on the tennis prodigy's face as she led him to the "training venue." Her shoulders began to shake as soon as she saw the horrified look on her learning partner's face as they entered a crowded room, illuminated by nothing but black lights. Knowing that her voice would only be muted by the sounds of the numerous machines in the area, she settled for stretching her hand out to the still confused Fuji. The tennis prodigy tilted his head in question upon seeing the neon hand in front of him. He then saw the expectant look on his raven-haired friend's face as she motioned him to take it. / What are you? Five? / The inner voice in his head spoke, but despite its contradiction, Fuji gladly grabbed hold of the outstretched hand.

"Nearly there!" Reiko whispered, although she looked like she was shouting.

Weaving through the crowd, they finally stopped in front of a machine with a large screen. In front of the machine was a stainless steel podium, with what looked like a mat with flashing arrows on it. Fuji could've sworn his face turned blue as his brain finally registered what the raven-haired girl had in store. He was thankful that the arcade's lighting made everyone's faces appear violet.

/ She's kidding. / He thought, as he flashed his friend a horrified look.

Seeing the look Fuji gave her, Reiko finally allowed a sadistic smile to spread across her face.

"What? It's only DDR." She shouted, still with the mischievous smile.

"Hasegawa-san, correct me if I am mistaken, but did you not promise to have an agility session with me tonight?" The tennis prodigy asked, his voice raised slightly higher than usual.

"You're right." Reiko confirmed with a devious smile.

"So then what are we doing in the arcade?" Fuji asked again.

"Training." Reiko said simply.

The brown-haired boy inclined his head and quirked a brow. "In an arcade?" He deadpanned.

"I never said my training program was orthodox." Reiko stated. "Anyway, I said no backing out. So you better step up, mister." She said with a threatening tone.

Reluctantly, the tennis prodigy stepped onto the podium while the amber-eyed girl fed the machine some coins before punching on some buttons to select a song. He did promise that he would be up for anything she would throw at him. Only he never anticipated 'Dance Dance Revolution' when he pledged to the agreement.

"Do you know how to play?" Reiko asked whilst still looking for a song.

"Yes." The tennis prodigy replied. He ignored the surprised look the raven-haired girl gave him upon hearing his response before continuing. "Eiji used to come here a lot for this. I, if not Oishi, was the one he usually dragged with him."

Reiko gave him a nod in comprehension. Fuji could've sworn he saw slight disappointment flit from her face. "So you're not a total noob."

"I know the mechanics of it, but I've never tried it." He admitted. He saw the sadistic smile creep back on her face instantly upon hearing his confession.

"Even better then." She said before finally punching hard on a button to select the song she has picked.

"I'll be nice" Reiko said while leaning on the side of the screen facing the tennis prodigy. "Let's do a warm up first." She pointed to the screen, motioning the brown-haired boy to concentrate carefully.

Fuji awkwardly stepped on each arrow corresponding to the one on the screen. Reiko laughed as she watched the 'Big Foot' imitation before her.

"Fuji, it's just like any other footwork." She said, finally moving from beside the screen to jump on the podium. The tennis prodigy was more than keen to allow the raven-haired girl to take over.

"Oh, don't think you're gonna get away that easily." She said as she gracefully stepped on the arrows on the mat.

"Try putting a bit of a jump on it. Your don't always have to have a foot planted in the middle." She instructed as she showed him. The tennis prodigy nodded in understanding.

Reiko threw in a few more tips before motioning Fuji to take over again. She noticed her friend's remarkable improvement as he easily followed the steps on the screen. His movements became more fluid and she could sense the confidence growing in him as he delivered each step with success.

/ For a guy, he's pretty limber. / She thought, again preventing herself from giggling. / He's not that manly anyway. /

When the song finally ended, Reiko gave her learning partner a round of applause for the job well done.

"Not bad." She said, smirking.

Fuji wiped the beads of sweat on his head with the back of his palm as he stepped off the podium. "Well, that was fun-"

"Whoa! Where do you think you're going?" Reiko asked as she shoved him back onto the podium. "I told you it was only a warm up. I haven't dismissed you yet." The eerie smile that occupied her face sent shivers down the tennis prodigy's spine.

"I'll make you a deal. This will be the last song." She said while browsing through the list of songs. "If you manage to at least get a 'C' on it, I'll treat you dinner." She paused from her browsing to eye the brown-haired boy expectantly.

The tennis prodigy crossed his arms and looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "And if I lose?"

"I'll shave your hair off." Reiko stated with a straight face.

"No deal." Fuji declined. "Dinner hardly seems a fair compensation compared to mine. If you were to punish me by shaving my hair off, then it's only right that I do the same to punish you." He said with an equally serious face.

Reiko grimaced at the mental picture that played in her head. "Alright fine, you'll be my slave for a week then."

"No."

"But you promised!" Reiko whined.

"I promised to attempt your training regime.

"Alright fine, you treat me to dinner." She grumbled. "Kill joy."

Fuji merely shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough." He said. He got into position upon seeing the raven-haired girl punch on the select button. His pupil's dilated in horror as he managed to catch a glimpse of the number of feet on Reiko's song choice. He wasn't even done counting when the image on the screen was replaced by a flurry of arrows. 'Fascination MAXX'.

Reiko clutched her stomach from hilarity. She watched mercilessly as Seigaku's famed tensai struggled to follow the instructions on the screen. Fuji did not even last thirty seconds through the song for he failed instantaneously. Panting, he got off the podium to approach the hysterical Reiko.

Struggling to compose herself, she managed to flash her mobile phone—which had recorded the entire show on video—to him, before fully doubling over in laughter. She couldn't tell whether the red on her companion's cheeks was from exhaustion or embarrassment

Settling down, Reiko cleared her throat before speaking. "Tough luck." She told him as she gave the tennis prodigy a pat on the back. "Eww! You're sweaty!" She complained while wiping her now wet hand on the sleeve of her companion's shirt.

"And I have you to thank for that." Fuji said with an unusually sarcastic tone.

"Hehehe! Whatever, that was delayed payback for everything." She said. "Anyway... Italian sounds nice."

"Not a problem. Do you mind if I get changed first?" The brown-haired boy inquired.

"Sure, we wouldn't want you to stink up the restaurant." Reiko teased.

They walked for a few metres until they found themselves outside an Abercrombie shop. Reiko turned to her brown-haired companion with a clueless look.

"I didn't pack an extra shirt." He merely shrugged before entering the shop.

"Yay! Fuji dress up!" Reiko exclaimed as she followed him inside.

Fuji tried on a few different shirts and let Reiko judge whether they were a 'pass' or 'fail'. He ended up purchasing three shirts rather than just one, for his raven-haired companion kept insisting he buy all the shirts he looked "hot" in. He decided to change into the navy-blue shirt with washed-out beige print which Reiko had thrown at him. "Good contrast." He recalled her saying. After their side trip at the Fitch shop, they then headed out to the Italian restaurant Reiko picked for dinner.

After desert at a gelato shop, the two partners decided to call it a night and headed out to the nearest tram stop.

"That was fun." Reiko said as she boarded the crowded tram.

"Sure. When you're not the one paying." Fuji added sardonically while searching for seats.

He quickly spotted the last vacant seats on the vehicle and motioned Reiko to follow him. The last two seats were adjacent to one another and Fuji let Reiko take the seat that faced forward in reference to the movement of the tram.

"Seriously though, we should do that again!" Reiko suggested excitedly.

"Maybe we should let the holes you bore on my wallet mend itself first, ne Hasegawa-san?" Fuji said before stifling a yawn.

Reiko rolled her eyes and ignored his comment. "What? Past your bedtime already?" She teased.

Fuji merely nodded for he was too exhausted to come up with anything clever.

"Tired?" Reiko asked with a mildly concerned tone. The tennis prodigy nodded again.

"Told you we should've rescheduled for another day." She said smugly. Fuji merely shrugged. "Go take a nap then, I'll wake you up when it's time to get off." She told him. The tennis prodigy nodded again and crossed his arms before leaning his head on the window to doze off.

Reiko felt herself smile in mild amusement as she watched her friend slumber peacefully on the noisy tram. She had never thought the sadistic tennis prodigy before her would be capable of looking so innocent and vulnerable. She noticed a lot of things about him as he slept. Like how he actually looked boyish with a slight change of hairstyle. Or how fragile he appeared when his effervescent smile was not in place, and then how pitiable he looked when his head started to slump forward in his sleep.

A stray strand of hair landed on his face and Reiko blushed when she realized she had almost reached out to brush it back.

/ Am I catching a fever? / She asked herself, as she felt her face heating up. She tore her gaze from the peaceful image before her by looking around the tram. She noticed that the crowd had drastically decreased in number as she spotted the vacant seats around.

/ How long have I been staring at him? / She wondered, embarrassed. Somehow, her eyes managed to land on her learning partner's face yet again, without her knowing. / He actually looks like an angel when he's asleep. / She thought with a smirk. She then gasped upon realizing where her thoughts were leading to.

She was about to mentally reprimand herself for thinking the way she had, when the tram came to an abrupt stop, causing the tennis prodigy's head to snap up while the raven-haired came flying forward. Fuji felt as though he had been jolted out of a prolonged coma. His wide sapphire eyes stared into stunned amber ones as Reiko's soft lips came in contact with his own. But as quickly as the tram had stopped, the tingling sensation was gone and was replaced by a much more familiar feeling...

Pain.

Two muffled groans chorused as the learning partners immediately pulled away from one another, Reiko clutching her left knee as she fell back on her seat, while Fuji sucked on his bleeding lower lip.

Let us take a few moments to rewind and review the sudden event to provide clarity to the readers. When the tram abruptly halted, the raven haired girl was sent hurdling toward the tennis prodigy. Her lips were not the only one to make physical contact for her slightly bent knees also collided with the hard plastic that was Fuji Syuusuke's seat. Of course, by a reflex reaction to the pain, she bit hard on the first thing she could snap at, which unfortunately at that moment, was her learning partner's lower lip.

"Tama, 500, 46-49." The tram driver repeated several times as he jotted a licence plate down on the back of his hand. Luckily, the rest of the passengers were also too far in shock to have noticed the learning partners.

"Is everyone alright?" The tram driver asked as he went around checking if any of his passengers had seriously been hurt.

"What happened?" A bald, middle-aged man asked as the driver walked past him.

"A car suddenly cut in." The driver explained and almost everyone nodded in understanding.

"Is anyone hurt? Would anyone like me to call an ambulance?" The driver asked again. Seeing no one had replied to any of his queries, he went back to the driver's seat to restart and get the streetcar moving again.

Seeing her amber eyes water, Fuji sucked on his bleeding lip once again before speaking. "Are you alright, Hasegawa-san?" He asked, concerned.

"Ow..." She groaned as she clutched onto her left knee. "Stupid chair." She grumbled while wincing in pain.

Fuji stood and sat down on the, now vacant, seat next to the raven-haired girl. Gently he brushed her hands away and placed her injured knee on his lap. He pushed her loose, 3/4 pants up to inspect her knee carefully.

"It doesn't seem swollen, so you don't have to worry about anything serious." He reassured her as his warm hands massaged Reiko's red knee. "But you shouldn't be surprised to find a large bruise." He warned her.

Reiko's face burned upon her friend's open show of affection, something she'd rarely see. Perhaps it was his reassurance, but somehow she felt the pain slowly subside upon his every touch. Her gaze fell on his wounded lip and her cheeks blushed harder.

"Anou... Fuji, I'm sorry about your lip. Doesn't it hurt?" She asked.

Fuji merely shrugged. "Perhaps not as much as your knee does. Don't forget to ice it when you get home." He told her, while still massaging her battered knee.

"Un." She nodded awkwardly. She relaxed and leaned back on her seat as she let Fuji massage her sore knee. Subconsciously, her fingers found its own way to her lips as she stared out the window.

"Hey Fuji. Do you mind if I ask you not to tell anyone about this?" She asked, oblivious to the pained look on the tennis prodigy's face. She tore her gaze off the window when she no longer felt his touch on her leg.

"I mean, it's not exactly the best 'First Kiss' story." She added.

The brown-haired boy nodded in comprehension. "I understand." He said, of course, Reiko didn't fail to notice the offended look on her friend's face.

"Don't get me wrong. I mean, I don't mind you being my first kiss given the circumstances." She stammered. Fuji arched a brow before hatching a teasing smile.

Reiko slapped her forehead. "What I mean is... Gah! I don't know what I mean." She sighed in frustration, making the brown-haired boy chuckle.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is: I don't hate you for stealing my first kiss. Just that, it happened wrong, you know? Stuffing up your knee and biting down on a guy's lip isn't exactly the best story a girl could tell her friends." She said. Fuji chuckled some more before nodding in agreement.

"Anyway, I'm sure any other girl would love for you to be their first kiss but-"

"Not you." Fuji finished.

"Like I said, I didn't mind you be—" She stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed the odd look her companion was giving her.

"Gah! I should probably shut up now." She said.

The two sat in comfortable silence before the tram reached their stop. Getting off, they began the familiar walk down their neighbourhood in a pleasant conversation.

"Hahahaha! I am so posting this video on 'Youtube'. It'll probably get a million hits within an hour!" Reiko declared as she replayed the video of Fuji on the DDR.

The brown-haired boy flashed his companion a horrified look, causing her to erupt in louder laughter.

"Alright fine, but can I at least put it on my 'Facebook'? This is too good to not post on the internet!" Reiko pleaded.

Fuji merely sighed, knowing there was no stopping her once she had set her mind on a plan.

Reiko clapped her hands upon her triumph. "Yay!" She exclaimed.

The raven-haired girl suddenly felt a cold chill as the warm atmosphere turned into a cold and ominous one. She saw her companion stop in his tracks just as they stood outside the Hasegawa-household. She traced his gaze found herself staring blankly at a white stretch limousine parked outside the Fuji driveway. She noted how rigid her learning partner had become after seeing the stationed automobile.

"Oi Fuji, are you alright?" She asked, worried.

"It's been a great night Hasegawa-san. Thank you." Fuji said abruptly, his pensive gaze never left the white vehicle.

"Important guests?" Reiko inquired again.

"I'll see you in school, Hasegawa-san. Good night." With an abrupt wave, the brown-haired tensai made his way into his house, leaving behind a dumbfounded Reiko.

/ What's up with that? / She asked herself, annoyed. / He didn't even walk me to my door. / She grumbled inwardly before making her way inside her own home.

**--Fuji Household--**

Upon entry, Fuji hastily took off his shoes and paced quickly to the living room. The worst of his suspicions were confirmed when he saw his sister, younger brother, mother and a man with a stern face and grey hair, all gathered together in hushed chatter. He froze by the doorway as he contemplated to whether he should silently sneak his way up to his bedroom or confront the man whom he called 'father'. He was about to commit to the first idea when a gruff voice prevented him from doing so.

"Ah, Syuusuke. How nice of you to finally join us."

He felt himself straighten up before stiffly bowing as he addressed the voice that had just acknowledged him.

"Otou-sama."

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the really long update everybody! I'd hate to say this, but expect another long period of inactivity from me. School is still a bit full on at the moment, with the exams coming in 2 months! Also, I will be camping out at the badminton courts so... expect the next one to be waaay delayed. If I feel like being the good nerd/jock that I seldom am, then expect the next update to be around... November (after exams!) or October-ish. If I have time on my school holidays (September) then I MIGHT update then, I doubt it though...

Alright, now that I've finished with the car, shout-outs! YAY!

**arirido**- Oh wow! Thank you, I'm very flattered. Thank you! I will try to do my best.

**I-Eat-My-Vegetables**- Another one?! I wonder how people could stand sitting (sounds off) down the whole day just reading. I mean I've done it before, with books, but fanfiction? But I'm very glad that my story did not bore you. I love your user name by the way. I should make one that says the opposite. (I'm not a big fan of vegetables...)

**SS-lover06**- LOL! Thank you. And you're right, brownies are not that hard to make. It's just Reiko.

**Moonlitelover**- Hahaha, really? LOL... If you want 'Reiko Brownies' I'll send over some of my friend's ones. Hahahaha! I got the whole idea from her. I think she still hates me (and a few other friends) for thinking they were cookies.

**unknown player**- Boyfriend material eh? I guess we'll see...

**Airashii Mochidzuki**- That's good... I think? Yes, it is said that Fuji's dad is always overseas, which makes it easier to write about him in this fic. If no one would mind... LOL!

**LunarRaven666**- Yay! I mean, I'm not being sadistic or anything. But I did intend to make the readers think twice about the pair they want to end up with. Hopefully no one screams TezuFuji at me!

**Otakugal**- Yes yes, indeed it does.

**animeninja13**- Aww... poor Rei. I don't think anyone was expecting anything from her baking. Hahaha! Goes to show how well everyone knows her!

**invisible-gurl**- The sadist turns into a masochist! .

**dfisher25**- Thank you! I appreciate you reading and supporting my other fic as well. Thank you very much!

**TakeKuri**- Yes. There's a lot, and I mean a TON, to be revealed in the following chapters. So please stay tuned!

**Charmane**- Cool! Thank you for supporting the idea of giving Fuji a background story! Hahaha... Well, if you're still curious, the brownies don't actually look THAT bad. Imagine a brownie, only really realy dry. Like sponge out of water dry. It actually looks like... chocolate crinkles, minus the icing sugar (that's how my friend's cookies--brownies looked!)

**akayuki-rin**- Thanks! How did your exams go? Mine are in a month and a few weeks from now... Reiko did get a good laugh from training Fuji.

**Heart**- Yes, Fuji is a fighter. But perhaps something else is holding him back? 'Perhaps'...

**ani-sand**- LOL! Fuji is a weirdo. Confessing but in front of Tezuka. What's up with that? Haha!... Well, something is definitely brewing in the Fuji household.

**purplestylus**- Hahahaha! The real pairing is about to be revealed soon! Hopefully... If I don't get distracted... V.V

**Lia**- Thank you very much! I hope you're not disappointed that I'm not updating as frequently. School is... well school...

**demonsadist**- Yes, I guarantee it will definitely keep the story interesting. Thank you very much! I hope you like this update!

Alright! That's all folks! I hope you enjoyed. A lot more action coming in the following chapters. Plus, the Hyotei match is right around the corner. Plese stay tuned!

Also, if you have time please check out my other story, because I think it will be handy...

**Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	23. Wrong Timing

Fixed this chapter up now. Thanks a lot guys!

I've decided to go with 2 'u's on the Syuusuke and Yuuta (because Rin says so! :) I knew the 'san' was hyphenated! LOL! Google confused me! Coz whenever I looked it up there, it would come out as one word!

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Wrong Timing

* * *

"Otou-sama."

The fair-haired man took a long sip of hot tea. He placed the porcelain cup down and opened his closed eyelids to reveal sapphire eyes that cast his eldest son a stern and intimidating look. Fuji Sasori, clenched his teeth upon seeing his unfazed son had become immune to his piercing glares. He refrained from laughing mirthlessly as he watched his son stand before him with an equally austere expression. He had become tougher, stronger, just as he had told him to do many times before. The older Fuji smirked. He was proud.

"You did not come to the house today." The senior Fuji said in a firm voice.

The tennis prodigy remained unaffected by his father's sharp tone and even felt like scoffing upon his statement. "Since when had I been allowed to go back?"

His father gritted his teeth before deciding to ignore his son's retorts. "Did Yumiko not deliver my message?" He asked, keeping the same stern expression.

"Onee-san did."

The older of the two Fuji's arched his brow. "And yet you did not come." He said, condescension audible in the tone of his voice.

"I had a previous engagement." The tensai responded just as sharply. His younger brother, Yuuta, dropped his jaw, incredulous at his brother's bravado.

A deriding smirk played on the senior Fuji's face as he motioned everyone present, except his eldest son, to leave the room. Everyone obeyed without a word. Once they were alone, the grey-haired man beckoned his son to have a seat across him. Not fully forgetting his manners, the brown-haired boy bowed before accepting his father's offer.

"I shall assume this 'appointment' was important, and excuse your impudence, Syuusuke."

The tennis prodigy disregarded his father's acquittal. "To what do I owe this honour? It is rare for Sasori-_sama_ to step out of his palace, especially not to mingle with commoners."

The grey man erupted in a boisterous, mirthless laughter. "You and I both know you are anything but common." The senior Fuji almost scoffed, appalled by the last word.

"Being exiled to a life of simplicity is the same as being common, is it not?" The tennis prodigy retorted.

"You make it seem as if I am punishing you. It is a test of independence, Syuusuke. I was merely trying to see if you are strong enough." The grey-haired man said in an even voice.

"And oneesan and Yuta?" He questioned resentfully.

"Those who carry my name must carry that strength." The older man said indifferently.

The tennis prodigy felt revulsed. That was all that was important to his father, his name. As long as there was someone to carry his legacy, Fuji Sasori did not concern himself with any other matter. He is a business magnate, CEO to a prominent chain of hotels and the world's leading technological company. Many called him a philanthropist for his noteworthy contribution to charitable institutions. A publicity stunt. He was barely a husband to his wife, and was definitely not a father to his three children.

"Yes, what good would a person be if he did not possess strength?" Fuji said, aberrantly sardonic.

The older Fuji excused his son's insolence. "Which brings me to my point, I would like to finally relieve you of your 'punishment'. I would like for you to begin your training at the company. This test has proved its purpose. You are ready."

"And are you sure you're not just overestimating my capability?" The tennis prodigy snapped back.

Again, the older man laughed brusquely. "I will admit, I am quite impressed by how strong you have become, despite your inexperience. But I have always known you are special, that is why you are 'Syuusuke'. You carry the name of the First, and you are expected to continue his _legacy_. You are born to fulfil what remains undone."

The tensai wanted to smirk at his father's statement. He knew his grandfather well to know he would never compel him to do something against his will.

"And if I were to decline? Would you finally disown me and free me of this burden?" The tennis prodigy challenged.

"Do not test my patience, Syuusuke. You know very well I am capable of doing just that."

Fuji Sasori hatched a daunting smile which told the tennis prodigy he still possessed the trump card up his sleeve. "But would you rather the responsibility be passed on to your brother, Yuuta?"

The older man smirked in triumph upon seeing his son's eyes snap wide open, revealing hateful, cerulean orbs. He knew he had succeeded.

Fuji Syuusuke knew well how much his brother resented him for the shadow he had unintentionally cast upon him. Now he had a choice. He could be free of the burden that came with his birth right, but in exchange, he must bequeath the heavy responsibility he is meant to carry to his brother. Was he willing to live knowing he was responsible for destroying his brother's chance of a future of happiness? Was he willing to allow Yuuta to truly hate him? The answer was clear. For his brother, he could not risk being selfish.

"It is too early. I am not ready." Fuji said monotonously, defeated. "There are still things I haven't done. Many I have yet to experience." With every word spoken, he felt himself crumble.

"Syuusuke, if you are talking about tennis, you need not worry." His father said in a tone that was the least bit reassuring. "I am willing to allow you to continue. In a way, it will benefit the company." He said. The tennis prodigy felt sickened.

"That's not what I am referring to." Fuji Syuusuke's voice was now slightly raised. His father eyed him expectantly, unfazed by his display of temper. "What I am asking for is more time, time to become stronger." He chose his words carefully, knowing what will appeal to his father's ears.

"Do you not want to regain access to everything that is entitled to you? I was under the impression that you did not like this life. 'Exile', was what you called it, was it not?"

"I am quite content with this life. I merely called it that because it keeps me from okaa-san." The tennis prodigy admitted.

His father held a pensive look for a moment before speaking again. "And if I grant your request, how much time would you demand?" The businessman asked.

**--**

"And I will not hear from you until then?"

His father forged an offended look. "Am I not allowed to at least call and see how my son is doing?" The salt and pepper-haired man asked. The younger knew that would hardly be the case and so gave his father a vacant look. Fuji Sasori fixed the stern look on his face again.

"You are truly a born negotiator, Syuusuke. Very well, you will not hear anything business-related until then." The older man held his right hand out. His son eyed it suspiciously before reluctantly gripping it to seal their deal with a binding handshake.

The tycoon stood and straightened his suit. "Oh, and just so you don't think I am exiling you, I am allowing you to visit home, should you wish to see your mother."

An alienated feeling flitted from the pits of his stomach upon hearing the word 'home', but Fuji was, nonetheless, grateful for his father's uncharacteristic leniency.

"Arigatou, otou-sama." He bowed before they went out to the lounge area where the rest of the family settled.

"Yoshiko." Sasori called. The siblings' effervescently smiling mother looked up upon the sound of her name.

"Hai, anata?" The middle aged woman answered sweetly. The tennis prodigy wanted to scold his mother for giving his father the treatment he did not deserve.

"I am leaving." The senior Fuji said. The middle-aged woman went up to her husband's side.

"Dear, would you mind if I stay for a few days? We seem to have new neighbours. I would very much like to meet them." She asked.

"Very well." The stern man answered gruffly. "Would you need anything delivered from the house?"

"No need. I still have some of my clothes in the master's bedroom." She stated. Her husband gave her an abrupt nod before turning to the door.

"Yumiko." The grey-haired man called.

"Hai, otou-sama?" The eldest of the siblings answered. She followed her mother and father out the front door, leaving the two brothers inside in silence.

Yuuta looked up from his PSP to watch his mother and sister see his father to the limo. He then averted his gaze to his seemingly exhausted brother, who's head rested tiredly on the black leather couch. He then quirked a brow upon noting that his brother's hair was now messier than it was when he left that morning. His brother's ruptured lip also made the younger Fuji more curious.

"Did you get into a fight or something?" Yuta asked.

Fuji sighed from the fatigue before answering. "No, I was bitten." He said. He lifted his heavy body from the couch and started trudging lethargically up the stairs. "I'll be in my room, hopefully sleeping. Tell oneesan not to worry about my dinner, I already ate." He informed before disappearing up the stairs.

The younger of the boys merely nodded and went back to his game. He had just knocked out Paul Phoenix when realization finally hit him. He let his PSP fall on the carpeted floor as he exclaimed in shock.

"BITTEN?!"

**--Outside--**

The driver opened the passenger door for his master upon seeing him approaching. He waited for his charge to finish his conversation with his wife and daughter before returning inside the car.

"Yumiko, would you know if Syuusuke is in a gang of some sort?" The business tycoon asked. The lack of concern in his voice indicated how purely curious he was.

"I don't think he is the type to be in one. I have met his friends. They are quite, different, but I for one know they are a very good bunch. Would you permit me to ask why you would think so?"

The grey-haired man nodded. "I noticed his broken lip." He said flatly. "Also, is the allowance I send him insufficient?" He asked again.

"I think it's more than sufficient." Yumiko said, otherwise.

Fuji Sasori looked thoughtful for a moment. "Then why does he go out in public wearing old and raggedy clothes?" He questioned. "It's degrading."

"I think that is the popular style of clothing boys his age wear." The oldest of the Fuji siblings answered, resisting the urge to chuckle.

The grey-haired man looked appalled. "I see." He said sternly after recomposing himself. "Please advise him, if he were to go out in public, to refrain from wearing such clothing. It does not stand well for our reputation." He instructed before sliding into the car. Yumiko nodded obediently. The two women bowed before the chauffer closed the passenger door, slid into the driver's seat and sped off.

**--Inside the Fuji Household--**

Mother and daughter headed inside the house and found a gawking Yuta standing on the sofa. His eyes were bugged out and his hands were raised awkwardly in the air.

"Yuuta?" Fuji Yoshiko called.

The only response the two women got from the dazed boy was a bewildered, "Bitten". They exchanged clueless looks before deciding to leave the youngest Fuji to head to the dining area for dinner.

**--Hasegawa Household--**

Reiko lay restlessly on her bed that night. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get rid of the image of her learning partner's stunned eyes from her head. Even when she closed her eyes, she was haunted by his intense azure gaze. Despite her mind telling her otherwise, she could not shake the intuition that she had seen the same sapphire eyes before, not from Fuji, but from someone else. She rattled her brain for answers, then groaned in frustration when she had finally arrived at a dead end. Realizing she was too flustered to go to sleep, the raven-haired girl sat up from her supine position, before taking a glance outside her large window. She frowned upon seeing the dark room across hers.

/ Is he sleeping? / She asked herself as her eyes remained on the adjacent room.

/ Must be. / She assumed, remembering how tired her brown-haired friend must be, having not slept at all the previous night. She decided to do the same and so plopped onto her bed once again. The last thought she remembered having before drifting off was the brief tingling on her lips when they made contact with her sapphire-eyed friend's. With a hand over her mouth, Hasegawa Reiko finally slumbered peacefully through the night.

**--The Next Day--**

With a sleepy yawn, Reiko sat up on her bed. After wearing her glasses, she took the clock on her bedside to check for the time. It seems she had beaten the alarm on her clock again, this time by thirty minutes. It was only six in the morning. She scratched her head groggily before stretching her arms out and jumping out of bed.

She finished making her bed in less than five minutes, and so scanned her room for something else to do. She thought about 'de-cluttering' her bedroom floor, but then she figured it would take her the whole day to clear it of all the unnecessary junk. Her eyes then settled on her desk, and saw the pile of books that were stacked on it. She contemplated on whether she should do some unfinished homework or read in advance but decided against it after feeling like she could not really be bothered doing anything school-related. She subconsciously peered out her window to view the room across hers. She did not expect the tennis prodigy to be up at that hour, and so was not surprised to find the room still dark and without sign of life. She continued scanning her room for something to do when an idea struck her. She quickly tied her hair up in a messy pony tail before heading down to the kitchen.

Upon her descent, she found her mother already up and moving about the kitchen, just as usual.

"Good morning."

The middle-aged woman snapped her head up and was surprised to see her daughter was already awake.

"Good morning dear. Aren't you a bit early today?"

The raven-haired girl shrugged her shoulders before proceeding inside the kitchen to help her mother with the cooking.

"It's okay Reiko, you can go back to bed." Mrs. Hasegawa said before going back to whisking eggs.

Reiko ignored her mother's instruction and continued to chop the pickled daikon.

"Uh, Mom?.."

"Yes dear?"

Reiko paused from her chopping and hesitated for a moment. "Err... Do you think that maybe you can teach me how to make my bento?"

Mrs. Hasegawa raised a brow at her daughter. She quickly put her hand on her daughter's head to check her temperature. "Hmm... You don't seem to have a fever. That's odd."

Reiko rolled her eyes. "MOM!"

"You can't really blame me dear. Since when were you interested in cooking?" The middle-aged woman asked.

"Since today! Now will you teach me or will I have to do it by myself?" Reiko asked, her voice raised in annoyance.

Not wanting to have to spend on remodelling her kitchen, Mrs. Hasegawa sighed before finally giving in to her daughter's request.

/ What's gotten into her? Must be something teenagers these days undergo. / Mrs. Hasegawa thought as she instructed her daughter to dip the strip of chicken breast in the beaten egg.

"You think maybe I can make two?" Reiko asked while rolling the soaked chicken breast in bread crumbs.

/ OH! / Mrs. Hasegawa thought. "Is _that_ what this is all about?" She couldn't help but smile as she asked.

"Huh?" The raven-haired girl looked up from the breaded chicken strip to eye her mother. She dropped the chicken after meeting the sly smile that played on her mother's lips.

"Eww! No! Oh God! Mom!" Reiko blurted.

"Well, who is the other one for then?" Mrs. Hasegawa asked.

"For a friend!" Reiko exclaimed. "How could you think that?!" She asked irritably.

Mrs. Hasegawa ignored her daughter's question and proceeded to ask her own. "Is it a male friend?"

Reiko instantly shut her mouth upon her mother's question. She then proceeded to stabbing the harmless chicken strip repeatedly with the chopsticks she was holding.

"Aha!" Mrs. Hasegawa exclaimed. "My baby is growing up." She said while eyeing her daughter with tear-filled eyes.

"Mom! It's not like that!" Reiko yelled defensively.

"What's not like what?" A male voice asked. Reiko turned and found her father standing by the kitchen doorway, suit and tie already on.

/ Great. / The raven-haired girl thought sardonically.

"Reiko is making lunch for a boy." Mrs. Hasegawa revealed, causing her daughter to turn red and her husband to... well, explode. Now we all know where Reiko inherited her temper.

"She's what?!" Mr. Hasegawa turned to face his daughter sternly. "Is this true?" He asked.

"It's not what you think!" Reiko defended again.

"It better not. You're too young."

"What, to make lunch?" Reiko asked, confused.

"No, to be in a serious relationship." Mr. Hasegawa stated.

"I'm not! Gosh!" Reiko exasperated. She shuddered upon repeating the words _'serious relationship'_ in her head.

Mrs. Hasegawa couldn't help but chuckle silently at the father-daughter display.

"Reiko," She called, momentarily interrupting her husband's and daughter's debacle. "I think the chicken is burning." She said while pointing to the frying pan on the stove.

Reiko scrambled to fish the strip out of the boiling oil with her chopsticks. She held the charred strip up in disgust as he inspected it.

"See what you've made me done?" Reiko scowled at her father.

"Rei, you would've done that without anybody's help."

"Ugh!" Reiko scoffed, offended.

"Now now otou-san, no put downs." Mrs. Hasegawa warned before calling on her daughter to try again.

Not wanting to argue any further, Mr. Hasegawa resorted to reading his morning paper instead. / Why are you so worried, Ryu? The poor boy would probably turn her down after one bite. / He thought, smirking as he read the most recent headline.

**--30 Minutes Later--**

"I don't believe it." Mr. Hasegawa gawked at the two lunches on the kitchen counter.

Reiko beamed proudly upon seeing her father's reaction. "See, I told you I could do it." She bragged.

The middle-aged man shook his head disbelievingly, his eyes never leaving the mouth-watering display on the counter. He cleared his throat to recompose himself before speaking again. "Well, the look doesn't decide whether it's a pass or fail. What matters is the taste." He stated while grabbing his chopsticks to pick up a chicken strip. Reiko instantly took the two lunches off the counter to keep them away from her father.

"No touching." She said firmly before placing the food down on the counter again. "I'm gonna go get ready for school. Mom, can you make sure it's safe while I'm gone?" She asked, flashing her father a deadly look. Her mother smiled, amused, before nodding.

Both elated and excited, Reiko couldn't help but sprint up to her room. In her eagerness, Reiko quickly finished showering and getting ready for school in less than 20 minutes. She hurriedly put her contact lenses on, thus causing it to fall several times on the sink. She decided to calm herself down before trying to put them on again. / Sheesh. Relax Rei, it's not like he doesn't live next door. / But despite having told herself this, she found her legs racing down the stairs.

When she got down, she found her father had already left for work, and was relieved that the lunches she made had remained untouched. She checked her watch for the time, and upon noting it, muttered an abrupt "Thanks mom", grabbed the two lunches from the counter and headed out the front door.

Upon her exit, she glanced over to her neighbour's house and was slightly disappointed her brown-haired friend had not emerged from the door yet. She checked her wrist watch again. It was just about time for him to come out. For a few moments, she contemplated on whether she should go over to ask for him.

/ God, chill out Reiko. It's not like you're not gonna see him in school. / She told herself. She decided against fetching her brown-haired friend and proceeded to walk to school by herself. Whilst walking, she thought of the possibility that maybe Fuji had gone to school early that morning, remembering the time she saw him practicing by himself. Subconsciously she increased the pace of her strides.

/ Jeez. Why am I so excited? It's only lunch. Besides, what if his sister already made him one? / Her steps began to lose its tempo upon the thought. / Stop being so pessimistic! What if she hadn't? Are you gonna let him eat cafeteria food? Or worse, fan-girl food! / She could not explain the uneasiness she felt when she thought of her friend eating the food one of his fan-girls made. Was it protectiveness? There was always the possibility that one or two of his fan-girls used aphrodisiac as a secret recipe. Or was it fear? Fear that maybe their works were better than hers.

She found herself contemplating over these thoughts as she walked down the corridor to head to her classroom. Surely it wasn't fear, why should she give a damn if he didn't like her work? So was it protectiveness. She tried to convince herself it was that, but somehow inside, something was pulling her to think it was something else.

She entered her classroom and was disappointed to find the seat next to hers unoccupied. She was not the only one disappointed. The rest of the class' female population instantly wore forlorn expressions when they realized it was not their 'Fuji-sama' that had arrived, but their raven-haired classmate.

Reiko trudged to her seat in deep thought.

/ Now that I think about, he wasn't exactly in his best condition yesterday. Didn't he say he hadn't slept? Could he be sick? / She pondered. As she sat down, her eyes widened in realization and instantly she was overcome by guilt. / What if he's sick because I forced him to play DDR? Reiko you idiot! How could you have been so insensitive? / She chided herself. She was about to mentally slap herself when she saw Kikumaru settling down on the seat in front of the empty one to her side.

"Eiji, have you seen Fuji around?" She asked, just as Ayumi approached them.

The redhead looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Hoi? I just got to school, Rei-chan." He answered with a sheepish smile.

She quickly turned to her other friend with the same inquiring look.

"Nope." Ayumi answered before Reiko could even ask. "Anyway, shouldn't you know better?" She asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reiko asked, clueless to what the fair-haired girl was referring to.

Ayumi instantly covered her mouth after her blundering error. She had forgotten that Reiko was not aware they knew she and the tennis prodigy were neighbours.

"Uh, you know..." Ayumi stammered.

"Nya! What Yumi-chan meant was, because you usually arrive with Fujiko, she thought you would have a better idea of his whereabouts." The redhead explained. Who knew Kikumaru Eiji was capable of thinking that fast?

Reiko gave them both an awkward nod. "Where's Chiharu?" She suddenly asked after noting her hazel-eyed friend's absence.

"She told me she was going to school with Oishi. Go figure." Ayumi said sourly, quickly regaining her composure. "Are you training with us after school?" She asked to fully sidetrack her raven-haired friend.

"Huh? Sure. Why wouldn't I?" Reiko said half-heartedly. Her pensive amber eyes fell unto the window on her left.

Not long after, their hazel-eyed friend, Chiharu, walked into the room, with a dreamy smile still plastered on her face.

"See you at recess, Oishi-kun!" Chiharu bade before walking towards her friends. "Good morning people!" She greeted cheerily. Her bright mood was instantly destroyed when her greeting was only acknowledged by curt nodding. She was about to give her friends a lecture about 'courtesy', when her eyes caught sight of the unusually empty chair beside her raven-haired friend.

"Are? Where's Fuji?" She asked her amber-eyed friend, purely out of curiosity.

"How am I supposed to know?" Reiko snapped, causing her hazel-eyed friend to take a step back.

"Sheesh! What's eating her?" Chiharu asked.

"Oh, Rei-chan is pissed because Fu—" Ayumi's elbow came in contact with the redhead's rib cage before he could even finish his statement.

"Nya! What was that for, Yumi-chan!" The redhead whined as he massaged his chest.

Ayumi slapped her head before speaking in a hushed tone. "Better that than murdered by Reiko, right?"

The redhead was dumbfounded for a moment before his eyes brightened in realization. "Ah!" He exclaimed upon enlightenment. "Nya! Yumi-chan, I didn't know you cared so much." His eyes twinkled as he enveloped the brown-haired girl in a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Gyah! Eiji, let me go! I can't breathe!" Ayumi squirmed to break free but the redhead's hold on her was far too strong.

"Ii data..." At the sound of the deep voice, Ayumi sent the redhead flying over the other end of the room with a powerful uppercut. Chiharu on the other hand, had her hairs standing on end upon seeing the bespectacled Inui sitting on the tennis prodigy's once empty chair, again displaying his ability to emerge out of nowhere.

"It's not how it looks, Inui-kun!" Ayumi declared defensively.

Upon noticing the apprehensive looks on the girls' faces, the data-man merely raised his right-hand which was shaped into a peace sign. "I bring information." He said in his monotone husky voice, as if he was giving his peace offering to compensate for his entry and the shock he had caused.

Reiko tore her gaze away from the window to eye the bespectacled boy.

"Hasegawa-san." Inui said, handing the girl a green notebook. Curious, both Ayumi and Chiharu stretched their necks to be able to peer over the towering data-man's shoulders and catch a glimpse of what was written on the cover. 'Panda-man', it read.

"Don't tell me you're still looking for the guy who put that panda in your locker?" Chiharu asked.

Inui ignored the hazel-eyed girl's comment as he watched the raven-haired girl flip through the pages. "I've narrowed the list down to twelve."

Reiko leafed through the pages on the notebook before stopping on a page with listed names and brief background information. She read each intently, trying to see if she knew any of the names listed on the page. Some of them were familiar; classmates and acquaintances, and some were names she had not heard before. She pictured the faces of those whose names rang a bell, then shook her head when she decided they didn't fit the profile of the person she was looking for. She continued in this fashion until she flipped the page over and found the last and only name written on the page.

She felt her heart skip a beat, before she snapped her head up to eye the bespectacled boy.

"You're kidding, right?"

Inui held a straight face as he confirmed the worst of the raven-haired girl's suspicions.

"That's impossible!" Reiko contended.

"I did not list those names there for the mere fun of it, Hasegawa-san. There's sufficient evidence to make each of them suspects. Also, keep in mind that I am only hypothesising. Nothing has been officially confirmed."

Reiko found herself silenced upon hearing the end of the data-man's statement. / 'Sufficient evidence'? / She repeated to herself. / 'Nothing officially confirmed'? / She couldn't deny the fact that she felt disappointed upon hearing Inui say those words. Why couldn't she find it in her to disagree? To find herself arguing otherwise? Various thoughts raced through her head while her eyes remained fixed on the only name written on the page. The vague look in her eyes triggered Ayumi, Chiharu and Kikumaru's curiosity, and so the trio struggled to get a glimpse of what their raven-haired friend was reading. They failed miserably, for Inui hovered over the raven-haired girl protectively, preserving the secret that further intrigued the three.

Reiko recalled their first encounter, how the feeling of familiarity struck her immediately upon first glance. The feeling manifested again when she first came across his striking eyes. They were familiar, and yet somehow they were different. She knew the colour was rare to Japanese people, so that adds more to the possibility that they were the same person. And if he were, why did she not remember instantly? Why did she require Inui's help? Did he know who she was? Or like her, could he not remember? Different questions filled her head all at once, but the one question that stood above the rest was...

/ Why do I feel... hopeful? /

Her inner debate came to an end when Honda-sensei, their biology teacher, entered the classroom.

"Hasegawa-san." Inui called, hailing the dazed girl's attention. He made a mental note to record her reaction in his 'Hasegawa Reiko Volume 1' notebook. "I'll continue looking into it."

"Thanks, Inui. That'd be great." Reiko said, still bewildered and shaken by the plausibility of Inui's assumption. She reluctantly gave the notebook back to the bespectacled boy, silently imploring him to not to tell anyone of the contents of that particular green book.

Understanding her gesture, Inui gave her an acquiescent nod. "I hope that, whatever the outcome, you will not be disappointed." Inui whispered before taking his leave.

"Ah, Inui, I didn't know you transferred to this class." The biology teacher joked upon seeing the bespectacled boy.

Reiko watched as Inui made small talk with their amiable biology teacher, all the while wishing herself the same thing the data-man had hoped for.

**--Fuji Household--**

Fuji stirred awake upon the feeling of someone stroking his hair. Having fallen asleep face down, the tennis prodigy rolled on his back to see who the person was. He was stunned to find his mother's serene and smiling face staring at him.

"Okaa-san?" The tennis prodigy said, unsure if he truly was awake or dreaming.

"Yes, I'm here Syuusuke." His mother replied, confirming her presence.

The brown-haired boy quickly sat up to envelope his mother in a tight embrace. "It's been so long." The tennis prodigy said in a whisper before breaking his hold on his mother.

"How are you feeling?" The middle-aged woman inquired.

"Quite well, now that you're here. And you?" Syuusuke replied.

"I'm fine, Syuusuke." The woman reassured. "You haven't been getting into any fights, have you?" She asked, noting her son's ruptured lip.

"No. It's not what you think." He assured. "How long will you be staying?" He asked.

"Only for a few days, but I have been made aware of the arrangement you had made with your father."

The brown-haired boy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, it was rather generous of him, how strange."

The middle-aged woman gave her son a reprimanding look. She decided to switch topics upon noticing her son's change of mood.

"So, what has my boy been up to lately?"

"Oh, just the usual tennis and school." The tennis prodigy replied. His perpetually closed eyes then snapped open upon recalling what he'd just said. He quickly glanced at the digital clock near his bedside and saw that school was already half-way from being over.

"You don't mind if I skip school to spend the day with you okaa-san?" Syuusuke asked.

The older woman chuckled before giving her son an approving nod. "Are you sure you'd rather spend the day with this old lady? Wouldn't you be missing something in school?" She asked, her smile hinting of the knowledge she'd recently acquired.

"Did onee-san tell you?"

The older woman nodded before speaking again. "Both Yumiko and I would very much like to meet Reiko-san."

"She only lives next door. Nee-san has been busy with her work lately, so she hasn't had the opportunity to get acquainted."

"I see... Maybe, while I am here, we should go over to do so."

The tennis prodigy contemplated on the thought for a moment. "I hope that I am excluded from this 'we'." He said. / It will be for the better. /

Fuji Yoshiko raised a brow. Observing the seriousness on his face, she understood instantly what he meant and so nodded her head to agree.

Placing a hand on her son's shoulder, she said "You are strong, Syuusuke."

Inside, the tennis prodigy questioned his mother's judgment. Was he truly strong, or was he acting out of cowardice? Was he being selfless or selfish?

He was confused at which one to pick, but he knew one thing was certain, he could no longer stay close. All the signs had pointed to that from the very beginning, but he had been blind and ignorant to have not paid attention. If he didn't stop now, he would only inflict upon himself greater pain.

He cursed himself for having only realized this now, now that it was too late. Now that he was in too deep. He should have stopped early on.

No, it wasn't too late. He shouldn't believe it was. Although it hurt him to think so, she did not reciprocate his feelings. She was still oblivious to everything, who he was and how he felt. She was waiting for someone else. And he must use that, to pull himself away and to save himself from greater agony. Yes, that was what mattered most, her happiness. And by stepping aside, he would be able to grant her that. He was strong enough to grant her that.

But how to do so? How would he avoid her when circumstances forced them together? How could he hide from his school mate, cooperative learning partner, next-door neighbour and friend?

"Syuusuke?" Yoshiko called, noticing the distant look on her son's eyes.

The tennis prodigy was instantly pulled away from his thoughts to meet his mother's inquiring eyes.

"Is something bothering you?" She asked, perfectly reading his beleaguered demeanour.

"Hm? Oh nothing. I was just thinking if maybe, until you go back, you would allow me to absent myself from school? I'd like to spend as much time as I can with you."

Yoshiko examined her son closely. Soon she realized the meaning behind his words. Wordlessly, she nodded her head in consent.

/ My poor boy. /

**--Lunch Time at Seigaku--**

/ That idiot! He just _had _to pick the right day to be absent. / Reiko thought furiously as she punched on the keypad of her phone. She waited on the ringing line for five minutes before ending up being answered by voice mail. / Oh, he's definitely hiding something. You wait Fuji Syusuke! I will get to the bottom of things! / She inwardly vowed before slamming—sliding—her phone shut.

"Poor phone!" Kikumaru felt sorry for the abused, black mobile phone on the raven-haired girl's hand. If it hadn't been for him, Ayumi and Chiharu, holding the incensed raven down, the phone would've been wedged stuck on the concrete wall two classes ago. / Rei-chan is really scary when she's angry. I wonder how Fujiko puts up with her? / He mused mentally.

The door slid open and in walked the Seigaku fukubuchou who himself had his mobile phone in hand. He noticed the empty seat beside Reiko as he approached Chiharu who stood close by.

"I guess Fuji's not coming to training today." He said as he stopped in front of the four.

Reiko instantaneously eyed Oishi hostilely upon hearing his innocent statement. "Why are you asking me? Do I look like his mother?" She snapped vehemently.

Everyone cringed upon her reaction. The poor fukubuchou rubbed the back of his head before stammering a reply.

"B-but, I wa-wasn't asking. I g-guess I was s-sort of telling y-you that Fuji w-won't be c-c-coming t-to practice." He said, intimidated.

"Oh so now you're rubbing in that you're better friends with him, are you?" Reiko asked sharply.

"That wasn't what I was implying. What I simply meant to tell you all is to not worry. Fuji has rung me and told me he's feeling a bit under the weather today, so he excused himself from training." Oishi explained shyly, still partly terrified by the Reiko's wrath.

"Oh? So now you're saying he's too good to talk to me? And what kind of friend are you? He's sick and you're telling us not to worry?"

"I didn't say that!" Oishi said defensively. The poor vice captain felt like letting the welled-up tears run down his eyes, and he would've done so if only he was not in a public area and standing in front of his girlfriend.

Chiharu quickly came to her boyfriend's rescue. "Jeez Rei! Relax! If you would only calm down and tell us the problem..." She said whilst rubbing the now hyperventilating vice captain's back.

"I think Rei-chan needs a time out." Kikumaru suggested.

Ayumi nodded in agreement before adding "Yeah Reiko, I think you should chill out for a bit. You've practically scared the entire Fuji Brigade."

Feeling discarded, Reiko abruptly stood up from her seat and slung her backpack on her shoulders. "Fine. I will! I know when I'm not wanted." She said bitterly before taking her leave.

Everyone guiltily watched the amber-eyed girl's retreating back as she stormed out of the classroom.

"Think we were too harsh?" Ayumi asked Chiharu, who was still trying to calm the traumatised Oishi.

"Nah. I think what Rei-chan really wanted was to be left alone. She was just too afraid to tell us to leave her." The redhead answered in Chiharu's place.

Oishi, Chiharu and Ayumi's eyes all bulged out of their sockets as they gaped incredulously at the acrobatic player.

"My my, you're awfully full of insight today." Ayumi teased before tiptoeing to ruffle the towering Kikumaru's hair.

"Oh my God! Finally! The day that Kikumaru Eiji grew a brain has come!" Chiharu proclaimed with tears in her eyes.

"I'm proud of you, Eiji." Oishi commended as he gave the redhead a pat on the back.

Rather than feel offended, the redhead beamed proudly, basking in the attention that was given to him. / Nya! I should use my limited edition Albert Einstein Toothpaste more often. /

**--**

Reiko tilted her head in all directions as she tried to find a place to be alone. Although she was offended, she did not resent her friends for casting her away. In truth, she agreed that it would be better for her, and for innocent people, if she isolated herself. For her to allow her mind to freely ponder and absorb the things she'd learned today, she would have to be in solitude.

After a few minutes of aimless walking, she found herself by the stairwell that led to the main building's rooftop. She shrugged her shoulders before deciding to climb the short flight of stairs, knowing that the rooftop was probably the least populated place in the entire school.

She pushed the steel handle down before pushing the metal door open. Immediately a cold gust of wind blew across her as the door came open. She took a shy step forward before fully coming out into the open roof deck. Instantly she noticed the silhouette of a person standing near the wire fencing. The person's back was turned against her as he viewed what was below. He seemed to be deep in thought and so she decided to quietly take her leave before she took any of his attention.

She already had the door open before she heard the familiar monotonous voice speak.

"Hasegawa."

She slowly turned around to see a standing Tezuka, hands in his pockets and looking at her with his eternally impassive stare.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Tezuka-san." She bowed as she apologised before approaching. / I'm already busted anyway. / She thought.

"Do you mind if I hang out here for a bit?"

"Not at all." came the boy's laconic reply.

After gaining the stoic boy's approval, she placed her bag on the ground before proceeding to sit. Feeling awkward for towering way over her, Tezuka did the same. An unbearable silence followed before Reiko took the initiative to break it.

"You seemed pretty deep in thought a little while ago. What were you thinking about?" She asked, only partly curious. The real reason behind her query was that she was looking for anything to keep her from thinking.

"The Hyotei match this weekend. I'm still deciding on the line up. The varsity is playing their first game this weekend as well?"

By now, Reiko was used to Tezuka's statement-sounding questions and so answered straight away. "Yeah. I think we're going up against Rik-Rikko-Rikkei-Rik..." She struggled to remember the name of the school they were supposed to go up against.

"Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku." Tezuka finished for her.

"Yup. That's it. It's quite a mouthful isn't it?"

Tezuka merely shrugged.

"Say, doesn't that grey-haired narcissist with the huge bodyguard play for Hyotei? The ones who spied on us on our first training session?" Reiko asked.

"Hai."

"Do me a favour? Kick his ass, will ya?" She asked.

Tezuka felt slightly taken aback by the raven girl's unusual straightforwardness today. Usually she would be too shy to tell him anything, and would even stammer with mere greetings and goodbyes. Not that he was complaining.

"I will do my best." He said, pledging to her a silent promise.

"Do you always come here every lunch time?" She asked.

"Only when I have time to spare." He answered.

Reiko nodded her head in understanding. "Did you have anything to eat yet?" She asked, noting the absence of a bento.

Tezuka merely looked at her blankly before shrugging.

Reiko let out a light chuckle before taking out the bentos from her bag. / Meh, it's his fault for not coming. / She thought.

The stoic boy felt cold sweat trickle down his face.

"I guess you're in luck then, Tezuka-san. I made two bentos today." She said, pushing one of the containers toward him.

He resisted the urge to loosen his collar as he eyed the square container warily. Not wanting to be rude, He took the plastic container and pulled the lid to open it slightly. / My teeth still hurt from her brownies. / He thought as he took a peek.

After the event with her brownies, the impassive boy was actually stunned to find the food inside the container edible-looking, although he made no indication of it. Nothing seemed charred nor hard. It seemed, well, normal.

He fully pulled the lid open before shakily picking up a chicken strip with chopsticks. He raised it to his face and eyed it suspiciously. The raven-haired girl gave him an encouraging smile before he reluctantly placed it in his mouth. Surprisingly, the chicken was not hard to chew, nor to swallow. It wasn't exactly the best cooking, but it wasn't necessarily the worst. It was, well, average.

"My mom supervised me when I did that." She told him as she herself picked up her chopsticks to start eating. "After the incident with Fuji and my cook—err brownies, I sort of vowed never to attempt making anything without assistance." She revealed, sighing upon mentioning the name of her absent friend.

Tezuka merely nodded as he silently chewed on his food.

"I'm sorry again for intruding, Tezuka-san. I just really needed a place to think."

"This place isn't mine. You are as eligible to access it as I." He said. She flashed him an appreciative smile before drifting off into her own world.

Seeing the distant look on her eyes bothered the stoic tennis captain so much that he could no longer restrain himself from asking. "What's on your mind?" He asked.

Reiko unintentionally let out an exhausted sigh. "Oh. Things. Heaps of things actually." She said. Tezuka took her hint and decided not to pursue the matter any further.

Hating to see the perturbed expression on her face, the tennis captain thought hard for another subject to veer the conversation to. He disliked the fact that he could not think of any other topic that did not involve tennis. It made him feel that he and the girl were only connected by that. He pushed his glasses up by the bridge before deciding to speak again.

"About our session this Friday," He began. Reiko attentively looked up, remaining silent as she waited for him to continue. "I think it would be best not to do anything strenuous, so as not to strain yourself before the Saturday game."

"So we won't be having a session then?" She double-checked.

"Not a training session." He clarified. He crossed his arms over his chest before subtly inhaling a deep breath. "We will be having a 'relaxation session'." He told her.

Reiko abruptly dropped her chopsticks upon hearing _the_ Tezuka, stoic, strict, all work and no play Kunimitsu utter the word 'relaxation'. Somehow it sounded so awkward coming out of his mouth that the raven-haired girl could not prevent herself from laughing. She clutched her stomach in laughter while her mind kept replaying the scene over and over again. / Maybe I should give him food more often. / She thought as she allowed herself to be overwhelmed with hysteria.

Not getting what it was she'd found funny, Tezuka continued to eye the girl blankly as he waited for her laughter to subside.

"Gomen ne, Tezuka. It's just—BAHAHAHA! It's just, I didn't think the word 'relaxation' could be found in your vocabulary." She said between fits.

The placid boy was not used to being laughed at, but seeing the girl's positive change of mood, he decided to make a fool of himself one more time to please her.

"Relaxation." He repeated monotonously.

Reiko nearly choked as she heard him repeat the word. If she wasn't wearing a skirt, she would've been rolling on the floor laughing. After a few more minutes, the 'joke' started to wear off and the raven-haired girl subdued her laughter completely. Her face became bright again as the forlorn expression that was initially plastered on her face died with her laughter.

"That felt good. Thanks a lot, Tezuka-san." Reiko said.

The bespectacled boy kept silent as he gave her a curt nod.

"So how do you plan to-snort-'relax'?" She asked, trying hard to suppress another round of chortles from escaping her lips.

"The purpose is to relax you, Hasegawa-san. What would you like to do?"

Reiko looked thoughtful for a moment. In her head, she pictured herself clobbering an already knocked-out Fuji with a baseball bat. She shook her head to chase the thought away before deciding to think of something else.

"Hmm..." Reiko thought hard for a moment before cracking a sadistic smile that almost resembled the cerulean-eyed tensai's. "Well, there is _one _thing I like to do with my friends when we try to chill our before tournaments." She began. "But... I don't know, you might not be up for it, Tezuka-san."

Feeling partially challenged, the placid boy raised a questioning brow at the raven-haired girl. "Whatever helps you." He said, accepting her challenge head on. / Surely it couldn't be that bad, if she did it with other people... / He thought. Nope. Obviously Tezuka Kunimitsu hasn't met Reiko's badminton teammates.

"You have to promise you'll try it too though." She said whilst slinging her backpack on her shoulders, preparing to leave.

"Yes." The impassive boy said monotonously, standing up from his Indian sit.

"Cool! So Karaoke it is then!" Reiko exclaimed swiftly. She jumped up from her sitting position before dashing to the metal door. "Thank you Tezuka-san! I really appreciate it! See you on Friday then!" She said quickly before leaving the confounded Tezuka standing in the middle of the rooftop.

"Karaoke..." He muttered monotonously as he tried to remember what the raven-haired girl said. Luckily he was the only one left on the secluded place when his eyes widened upon realization.

/ Karaoke...?! /

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey people! I know I wasn't supposed to update this till later, but I'm really depressed at the moment. So stuff it all!

I was transferring some files into a new folder, and I didn't know I actually accidentally transferred them to my BotT folder. And (cruelly) the following two chapters have been replaced by two draft files I made sooooo long ago!

I really feel shattered, all that hard work, 18-thousand-something words! 3 weeks it took me, in between school and training... AND IT'S GONE! I seriously wanted to bang my head on the wall and cry... V.V I should've uploaded it here when I finished them.

So I'll be posting the next chapters later than I'd planned. I'm really sorry (for myself and my readers!)

Before you guys sue me, I'd like to get this straight.

I know Fuji's dad is an overseas office worker (cough-wikipedia-cough), but hey! They never said which position right? It could have been a play on words. I mean he still works in an office (HIS office) and it's overseas... Whatever, I really dislike people who want even the most INSIGNIFICANT of details set straight. What's the point of making OC fics then? I mean they're not originally in the story... (Did that make sense? Feel free to wreck me any day, I'm bound to retaliate with something more nonsensical...)

I feel really sloppy with this chapter. Or am I just depressed? Nah, I think I'm just a crap writer. Anyway, if anyone is confused, allow me to guide you to the right path.

By the end of this chapter, one should be wondering/thinking...

1. Can Tezuka actually sing? (I feel like Karaoke-ing wif Tezuka would only end up as a Poetry Recital... V.V)

2. What's Reiko going to do with her new found facts?

3. ... Fuji's dad seems like the Grim Reaper minus the scythe. ("I've come to collect your soul...")

4. What's Fuji going to do now that his dad has come to 'collect'?

If you're not thinking these things (and more...) then I have failed with this chapter. I might revise it, when I have time.

I've recently been coerced into composing a song, and editing lyrics for a friend... Just another thing to add to my already mile-long of list of things to do. Meh, when she sees how crappy I've become with my guitar playing, she might give up on me. 'Let them down gently' I say!

Sorry if I rambled a lot up there... There is still much to be revealed... And now is the time for shout-outs (I'm feeling more random today than usual)

**akayuki-rin**- Yeah, I don't think anyone was expecting that. About your question, nah... it was totally random, well sort of... Although, the 'First Kiss' story was based on a true one, only the real event was a hell of a lot funnier than in the story, because my friend didn't exactly hit the chair with her knee. (Gags from laughter...) Glad to hear you did well on your exams! And thanks for wishing me luck on mine.

**I-Eat-My-Vegetables**- Thank you! I really do hope all goes well. I think if it doesn't I'll be utterly depressed and put this story on hiatus for a looong time. Although I already have the ending in mind (or rather, several endings).

**arirido**- Thanks! I hope this one isn't a disappointment. I've lost sense somewhere along the way. I think exam pressure is starting to get to me.

**rose-of-alabaster**- Ahahaha! I know. I was actually contemplating on making it a full on dramatic one, but I was like "Nah, it's not a Fuj/Reiko moment if nothing goes wrong!"

**Moonlitelover**- LOL! Believe me, I would too. But I'd pay more money to see Tezuka belching it out on the Karaoke machine! (Bahahaha! Any suggestions on the perfect song? I can sooo imagine 'All by myself')

**animeninja13**- Fuji's dad is the collector... LOL! More to be revealed about the Fuji family. I guess the first kiss scene was a bit weird, but I just tell em from how they happen, and tweak it a bit.

**Otakugal**- He is... Although I think I failed on making him as creepy as I imagined him to be. I need to observe some more creepy people...

**invisible-gurl**- Thanks!

**iWolf**- LOL! Almost... There...!

**demonsadist**- Aww... I can send you ours if you want. LOL! My sister hardly uses it anymore. Nah, I don't know who 'eyeshield' or 'monta' is. Fascination MAXX is just the hardest song on DDR Super Nova. OMG... How do I know that?!

**ani-sand**- I don't think Tezuka would be dancing, but I think I might make him belch a note or two... I dunno... we'll see.

**Heart**- Ahahaha! Sorry! This isn't so much of a cliffie... which means I might be updating soon... and then I'll leave a cliffie... LOL! Fuji's dad...? Err... We'll see.

**Charmane**- I want him to be scary! YAY! Hopefully he's still scary in this chapter. No, his mom and dad aren't divorced.

**unknown player**- Oh yeah... The dad is definitely here!

Yup, well that's all I have for now. Please do leave some feedback. I think my writing is getting worse. (Oh no! I'm growing backwards!) Sorry for the long dialogues!

**Please don't forget to review on your way out (Seriously)! Thank You! Come Again!**


	24. Karaoke Night

**Author's Notes:**

I'm baaaack!!! Finally, school's out! I can update more regularly now. Sorry for making you guys wait. I really hope you like this one! This was supposedly a longer chapter, but I decided to instead split it into two parts because I think it would make more sense that way.

**Update:**

Okay... I added another line to _the _song. As requested. LOL!

--

**

* * *

Chapter 24**

Karaoke Night

* * *

**--Friday at Seigaku--**

Despite having only 5 minutes left of the final period, a lackadaisical air continued to linger through the entire of class 3-6. Amiss was the silence that enveloped the room and its occupants. It was as though school life had turned into a dull and meaningless tedium without the frequent bickering of a certain, hot-tempered, raven-haired girl and a sadistic genius. Everyone, save for three people, exited the room silently, but not without casting their lifeless raven-haired classmate a final look of pity.

"Ne, how long do you think she'll act like this?" Chiharu discreetly whispered to her two companions as they all watched the listless raven from the corner of their eyes.

"Who knows? It's been a tough week for her." Ayumi answered sympathetically.

Kikumaru Eiji's cat-like navy eyes never wandered from their subject as he joined in the conversation. "Who wouldn't be? Imagine going to mixed clubs day without a partner, failing three history tests and being accused of murder by rabid fan-girls all in a week. If Fujiko's mom didn't—"

"I'm right here you know." The pale raven finally spoke with an alarmingly threatening tone. She piled her books in a stack before carrying them on one hand while her other slung her backpack on one shoulder.

"Staying back again?" Chiharu inquired just before Reiko could exit the room.

"These won't photocopy themselves you know." Reiko answered a bit too casually.

"But you are coming tonight, right?" asked Ayumi.

"Of course. I planned it, didn't I?"

**--After School--**

Reiko flipped to the last page of her notebook before placing the bound material on the industrial photocopier. Too used to the machine, Reiko sighed before automatically finding and pressing the 'copy' button, while she checked the time on her wrist watch. 4:00, her precious hour had just been consumed with photocopying the day's lecture notes for her absent cooperative learning partner.

/ Why do I even bother? I should just let him fail miserably. / Reiko thought as she stacked the papers together before placing them neatly in her bag. It had been the same routine every week. After school she'd stay back for thirty minutes to an hour, exploiting the school's supply of paper with her photocopying for a friend who either didn't have strong enough antibodies or just didn't have the gall to contact her through the duration of his absence. Thereafter, she would flaccidly take her leave, finally allowing the school librarian to clock out and the cleaners to do their job.

Walking down the familiar footpath, Reiko mechanically pressed on the buzzer beside the doorpost before waiting for an effervescently smiling middle-aged woman to answer.

And indeed, the door was opened by a serenely smiling middle-aged woman, as per usual. "How was school today, Reiko-chan?" The woman asked.

"Same old, Yoshiko-san." She answered, without as much as a hint of enthusiasm. "Is he still not feeling well?" She asked, feeling like a nagger for having asked the same question every day.

"He's feeling a lot better now. I made him miss school today just to make sure he's well enough for tomorrow's game." Fuji Yoshiko replied.

/ Of course he's better. The Hyotei game is tomorrow. / Reiko thought sarcastically upon hearing the answer, but quickly the sarcasm was gone as a sudden thought struck her.

"So if he's better, I can go see him now?" She asked, not noticing the desperate hopefulness in her voice.

The older woman's smile slipped slightly. "That's probably not the best idea, dear. Syuusuke might still be contagious. I wouldn't want you to catch anything.

Reiko merely nodded her head bidding the older woman goodbye. The amber-eyed girl was already beginning to think that her cooperative learning partner had been abducted by extra-terrestrials. His sudden disappearing stint could even put the greatest of magicians to shame. If it weren't for his mom notifying the school of his absence, Fuji Syuusuke's picture would've probably been printed on every single milk carton in the whole of Japan.

Fuji Yoshiko took the thick stack of notes off the dejected-looking teen's hands before thanking her and seeing her off. Then she proceeded to the second floor of her house before stopping in front of a door and knocking three times. After being permitted entry, the middle-aged woman came in to find her eldest son sitting behind the pile of books scattered on his long study desk.

Placing the new stack on the already full desk, the middle-aged woman turned to face her son, her face no longer smiling and instead held a solemn expression.

"Syuusuke, you can't keep yourself from the world forever."

The tennis prodigy put his pencil down and math book to a close before facing his mother with an equally serious expression.

"I know." A contemplative look lingered on his face before he cracked half a smile. "You're only here till tonight. I'll have to find another reason to stay in." He said jokingly.

The middle-aged woman flashed her son a reproaching look before smiling herself. "You're smart, Syuusuke. I'm confident that you can figure this out."

"Thank you." He told his mother before she could leave the room.

Once alone, the brown-haired tennis prodigy swiveled his chair to the direction of his window. The dark curtains which draped over it did not prevent his mind from picturing what was beyond it. Wanting to rid himself of the mental image, he turned his chair again so that this time it was facing his table. His gaze then fell upon the small blue device amidst the messy stacks of paper. Flipping the phone open, his pianist fingers expertly maneuvered the keypad until he had opened a certain message in his inbox.

He stared blankly at the screen while a torrent of thoughts flooded his head. Why did he allow his world to revolve around her? Before her, he had a life, so why does she have such a big influence on it right now?

/ I should've taken Tezuka more seriously. How many times did he tell us to 'never let our guard down'? / He told himself before hatching an amused smile.

/ Alright Syuusuke, time to get your act together. /

He read the message on his phone a final time, before placing it back down on his desk. Smiling, the tennis prodigy grabbed his towel and headed for his bathroom.

_--Message from Hasegawa Reiko--_

_If ur still alive, the whole team is havin a karaoke night this Friday at The Lounge.  
Heaps of blackmailin opportunities and Tezuka is singing so u better come!  
Feel better! I'm flunkin history without u! T_T_

_--End of Message—_

**--**

Fuji Yumiko had just arrived from work when she saw the oldest of her male siblings dressed up and slipping on his shoes.

"Going out, Syuusuke?" She asked, as if it was the most peculiar of events.

"Welcome home onee-san. I won't be out too late. We have a game tomorrow. Okaa-san is in the kitchen preparing dinner." The tennis prodigy informed before flipping his phone open to check for the time.

The elder of the two nodded in understanding. "Anou, Syuusuke?" Yumiko called out before the said boy could leave the house. The tennis prodigy gave his sister an expectant look as he waited for her to continue. She seemed to be more interested in his shirt.

"Otou-sama had instructed me to tell you to refrain from wearing such clothes. He does not think it is… 'fitting'. But perhaps this time we'll keep it to ourselves."

The smile that had just returned vanished in an instant. Fuji Syuusuke eyed the navy shirt he was wearing before taking off his shoes and heading for the stairs.

"No no, I wouldn't want to put you in trouble. I'll go change." He said before hurrying up the stairs and into his room. Within a few minutes, the brown haired boy emerged sporting a white, half-button up shirt with a grey hood. He pocketed his mobile phone before putting on a black pinstriped suit jacket. Thinking they were permissible, he decided to keep the jeans he'd initially worn before slipping his feet into a new pair of shoes. Meeting his sister in the living room, he waited for her approval before heading for the door.

"I'll be back by ten."

"I could pick you up." Yumiko suggested.

"Thank you, Ne-san. I should be fine, but I'll give you a call if I ever I need a lift." He said before finally taking his leave.

**--Outside The Lounge--**

The tennis prodigy was not surprised when he'd arrived at the designated meeting place 20 minutes early and found the Seigaku Tennis Captain already waiting.

"Always the early bird." Fuji greeted as he approached the stoic lad.

"Are you feeling better?" Tezuka impassively asked.

"If that translates to 'can I play tomorrow?', then yes, I am feeling better." The tennis prodigy replied before taking the seat on the other end of the bench where the tennis captain sat.

A pregnant silence followed before the tennis prodigy decided on a topic of conversation.

"So, has there been any progress yet?" He asked while his gaze remained transfixed on the majestic fountain at the centre of the city square.

"I'm not sure I follow." Tezuka replied nonchalantly.

Crossing his arms, the tennis prodigy sighed. "Have you made your move yet, Tezuka?"

Realizing what his companion was getting at, the bespectacled boy nodded. "I asked her to relax." Came the laconic reply.

"Relax?" Fuji repeated almost scoffing, the amusement in his voice too prevalent to be masked.

"Since there is a match tomorrow, I decided to cancel our Friday session today. I asked her if there was anything she wanted to do that isn't too physically straining." The placid expression on the bespectacled boy's face never slipped as he finished what would perhaps be his longest statement for the night.

"And how did that go?" The tennis prodigy continued to prod, trying to sound as unfazed as he possibly could. He wasn't called a genius for nothing.

"We're here right now."

"You allowed her to invite the whole team on your date?" At that, the tennis prodigy finally let out a chuckle, but not of humor. Instead, it was due to an unexplainable feeling of relief.

Tezuka remained silent as he sternly eyed his companion. "I think you owe her more than an apology." The bespectacled boy's voice, despite still being monotone, was now coated with unnerving seriousness.

The peals of laughter were immediately silenced.

Thankfully, the weighty atmosphere that enveloped the two was immediately lifted by Momoshiro's and Echizen's timely arrival.

"AHHH! Fuji-senpai! You're alive!" Momoshiro exclaimed immediately upon sight of his 'long lost' senior.

The brown-haired boy quickly plastered a smile before acknowledging the boy's greeting. It did not take long for the rest of the regulars to arrive. After Momoshiro and Echizen came Inui, Kaidoh, then Kawamura and Kaita. Oishi and Chiharu arrived together having come from the same neighborhood and of course, for more obvious reasons. A series of "Are you feeling better's" showered the sapphire-eyed boy before everyone animatedly engaged in their own conversations, whilst awaiting the arrival of the three more team mates.

"Nya! Fujiko's here!" became the only warning before the tennis prodigy found himself under Kikumaru's chokehold.

"It's great to see you, Fuji-kun." Ayumi greeted as soon as the redhead released the tensai from his death grip.

"I hope you didn't worry too much, Ayumi-san." Fuji replied. His poker face almost cracked when his gaze finally landed on the raven-haired girl that trailed behind the chocolate-haired one. Suddenly the weight was back on his shoulders.

"So he lives." Reiko jeered as she approached her cooperative learning partner. Everyone watched as the fire rekindled in the raven-haired girl's amber eyes.

Expecting a clever retort, everyone was stunned when the tennis prodigy only replied with a polite smile. To Reiko, it was more like a slap on the face.

"Saa… We should probably head inside. It's not wise to stay out too late when we have a match tomorrow, ne Tezuka?"

The tennis captain merely nodded as he allowed Fuji to usher everyone inside. Everyone had already gone in, all except the raven-haired girl who remained rooted on the ground she stood on.

"Hasegawa." Tezuka called, snapping the said girl out of her own world. "Let's go." He extended to her his right hand, inviting her to take hold.

"Ah… Un." Reiko said abstractedly before taking the tennis captain's hand and allowing him to guide her inside.

--

Once inside, Reiko tried hard to disregard the tennis prodigy's earlier actions by letting it pass with a 'too sick to argue' excuse. Putting on her best smile, she waited for everyone to settle down before laying out the rules for that night's 'Karaoke ala Hasegawa Reiko'. Grabbing the microphone, Reiko cleared her throat to capture everybody's attention.

"Alright guys, listen up. As you all know, I planned this Karaoke night for us to be able to chill out before our games tomorrow." She paused when Momoshiro and Kikumaru started hooting like dogs gone mad.

"Thanks guys." She said sardonically.

"I'd just like to let all of you know that we won't be Karaoke-ing the conventional way tonight, and instead, I've added a little twist."

As expected. Nothing is ever normal when the Seigaku Tennis team is involved. Everyone remained silent, urging the raven-haired girl to continue.

"Tonight, we'll be playing 'Truth or Dare Karaoke'." She announced. Taking a glass soda bottle from the refreshments counter, she placed it on the middle of the circular table which everyone sat around.

"Basically we'll all take turns in spinning the bottle. Once the bottle points to a person, they have a choice of either 'truth' or 'dare'. When someone chooses to do a 'dare', they'll have to sing a song of the spinner's choice. However, when someone decides to pick 'truth', they will have to answer one question by the spinner."

Reiko waited for everyone to nod in understanding before proceeding with the rest of the rules. "Once you've chosen to do either a truth or a dare, there is no changing. Everyone has to answer what the spinner asks, or sing the song the spinner gives you. Those who refuse to do so will be punished severely." The amber-eyed girl hatched a menacing grin as her friends trailed her gaze to a cackling Inui. Everyone gulped as they cautiously eyed the bottle of purple liquid in the data-man's possession, already knowing what was in store for them if they chose not to abide.

"Alright. I think I've covered all the rules. Ayumi can be the first spinner, since her name starts with an 'A', and then we can all go clockwise from there. Let's have a good night!" She said before bowing and taking her seat on Tezuka's right.

The amber-eyed girl furtively glanced across the table where a certain brown-haired boy sat. She couldn't explain the pain she felt when she found him more engrossed in the Song Book. Inside she was beginning to feel like he was purposely giving her the cold shoulder.

Her thoughts were then disrupted when the first victim had finally been chosen. She quickly brushed the idea off before joining her friends in their chanting.

"Kaidoh! Kaidoh! Kaidoh!"

Ayumi flashed the junior an apologetic look before asking him. "Truth or dare?"

The younger boy caught his senior unprepared as he opted for the earlier option. "Fshh… truth."

"Hah! Truth is the choice of cowards! Real men aren't afraid to take dares!" Momoshiro declared, provoking another one of the 'Viper's' nerves.

"Fshhh! What did you say? You idiot! Real men are the ones who always tell the truth." Kaidoh snapped back, and soon, another 'Momo-Kaidoh' fight scene was underway, buying Ayumi more time to formulate a question.

Tezuka resisted the urge to rub his temples as another migraine threatened to shoot up. This wasn't exactly the type of relaxation he'd imagined.

The chocolate-haired girl cleared her throat into the microphone so that she could call on the bickering boys' attention. "Umm… I've got a question now." She announced, capturing their interest.

"Anou, Kaidoh-kun. Why do you always wear a bandana?"

The abovementioned boy quickly stiffened upon hearing the question. Everyone became more curious when they saw the timid boy blush furiously whilst struggling to answer.

"When I was in elementary school…" Kaidoh paused, wondering if he should continue when he saw everyone looking eagerly at him. "I had a seatmate that was found to have head lice. Not wanting to get them I started wearing a bandana. Whenever I don't have it on, I'd feel paranoid. It was my routine throughout grade school and I found it helpful for tennis." He finished a bit too quickly. Everyone remained silent with their mouths slightly agape.

"HAHAHAHAHA! That's it? You make yourself look like an idiot everyday because of _that_?! Momoshiro taunted with a sneer.

"Hoi? Now, now Momo, it's not nice to laugh at others' sentimentality. Let's not ruin the night by embarrassing people when they're pouring their hearts out." The entire team exchanged quizzical expressions when their 'mind-of-a-ten-year-old' acrobatic player finished his rather 'mature' statement.

"Ne, Eiji? Didn't you use to have head lice as well?" Kawamura innocently asked. Instantly, everyone turned to the redhead with accusatory, deriding expressions. The seniors, except Tezuka and Reiko, all had devilish grins playing on their lips as they stared at the seemingly shell-shocked Kikumaru.

"Oh yeah! Back in freshman year! When they had the hair inspection!" Chiharu recalled, further mortifying the acrobat.

Not used to _that_ type of attention, Kikumaru sunk on his seat while everyone took turns in giving him nicknames and making fun at his expense. He then noticed the silenced Kaidoh sitting pensively beside him, the only person in the room who still hasn't had a go at him.

"I guess you're the only other person who doesn't think it's funny." The redhead told his junior.

"Fshhh… Senpai... Please don't sit too close. I didn't bring a bandana today." Kaidoh asked politely, shunning the redhead who was now nothing but a lifeless shell.

After Ayumi, it was Chiharu's turn to spin the bottle, and soon had it pointing at Momoshiro. The spiky haired teen was all too eager to take the dare and so was shocked when his senpai had him singing 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua. Not only did he lack tolerable vocal skills, his English was in a far worse state than a Kawamura in 'burning mode'. And speaking of the sushi chef's son, no one had anticipated his 'fire' to ignite when it was finally his turn to be handed the microphone. It nearly took Tezuka to get the microphone away from the overly passionate boy, but the whole team managed to pry the contraption away.

The rest of the night continued in that fashion, everyone each had their turns to be the victim, some on more occasions than others. By two hours into the night, almost everyone had had their go at being victims, save for the stoic tennis captain, the hot tempered raven, the towering Kaita, and the sadistic tensai. And Tezuka's luck just ran out for it was Inui's spin that pointed the soda bottle at him.

Anticipating the placid captain to pick 'truth', everyone was shocked when instead he chose 'dare'. Immediately after the rules have been outlined, Tezuka concluded that should his turn come, he would instantly choose to answer a 'truth' question, with one exception; if ever it were Inui who spun the bottle, he would pick the 'dare' instead. It was no secret that the data man had an obsession with collecting information. And knowing he could be quite resourceful, Tezuka was aware that granting Inui access to a little information would almost be the same as publishing his own autobiography, only worse. Not wanting to reveal his life story and lose his privacy, Tezuka opted for the bolder option instead. That was a decision that would perhaps leave him in regret for a very long time.

Everyone eyed the towering data collector expectantly as he browsed the Song Book for an appropriate number. His glasses then gleamed maliciously when he finally put the book down. Everyone could tell he was biting back a cackle when he smiled deviously at the unfazed tennis captain. All jaws started falling when he punched on the remote and the song title was finally revealed on the screen.

Everyone eyed Tezuka nervously as the music started playing. The stoic boy pushed the bridge of his glasses up before subtly taking in a deep breath, bracing himself to monotonously recite the lyrics of his assigned song.

"I'm too sexy for my love. Too sexy for my love, Love's going to leave me."

It did not help that Tezuka Kunimitsu had a naturally baritone voice, because although his teammates knew it was not his intention, it still seemed as though he was purposely trying to sound seductive. This, and his naturally stiff and uptight demeanour did not blend too well, making the placid tennis captain seem like he was at a poetry recital rather than a karaoke bar.

"I'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt. So sexy it hurts."

Reiko had to put a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from erupting in laughter. Fuji, on the other hand, was having the time of his life recording Tezuka's number on his digital camera. By the time the song had progressed to the second chorus, everyone had already turned blue from trying to stifle their laughter. Luckily the room was dark enough to mask the bright shade of pink that tinged his cheeks.

Tezuka saw how little effort his team put in trying to preclude their snickers, and so, when the song finally finished, he was not too keen on putting the microphone down just yet.

"Everyone will be running 20 laps around the school on Monday. Inui and Fuji, 50 laps." He declared, and once again, everyone's jaws fell to the ground.

After Inui it was Reiko's turn to spin. The bottle revolved about ten times before it started slowing down. When it finally stopped, everyone silently stared as the bottle pointed directly to the person across her. Everyone cheered when it was finally Fuji's turn to be the 'victim'. Reiko smiled smugly as her learning partner rose from his seat.

"So, what's it gonna be? Truth or dare?"

Inside, the amber-eyed girl prayed that the tennis prodigy would choose 'truth'. His period of absence had left her with nothing but questions. One particular question, stood out among the rest.

Fuji knew well what went on in the raven's mind. Knowing he'd most likely be asked a question he'd doubtlessly rather lie about, the brown-haired boy reached for the microphone and positioned it near his mouth.

"I pick 'Dare'." He said without a trace of hesitation. Everyone seemed satisfied with his choice as they gave the azure-eyed boy a round of applause, everyone except Reiko who looked mildly astounded by his pick.

/ You're hiding something. / Reiko thought suspiciously as she browsed through the list of songs. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, Reiko punched on a few buttons on the remote before the song title flashed on the screen. Less intimidated by the tennis genius, the Seigaku players allowed their laughter to escape as Fuji rhythmically read the lyrics to Gloria Gaynor's 'I will Survive'.

By the time he finished, Kikumaru and Momoshiro were clutching their stomachs as they rolled on the floor, laughing with tear-filled eyes. Even the impassive Echizen was barely able to hold back his laughter. Inui scribbled madly on a pocket-sized notebook and this time, his cackling was replaced with genuine laughter. The stoic tennis captain even let out a cough which was obviously to let out his amusement.

The night was coming to a close and finally, it was Fuji's turn to spin the bottle. Everyone watched in anticipation as the bottle spun round and round, while Kikumaru used Kaidoh as a shield from the bottle, after having been already 'victimized' three times. Finally the bottle slowed, and eventually it stopped at the person across Fuji. Finally, it was Reiko's turn.

"Saa… Will it be truth or dare, Hasegawa-san?" Fuji asked, his facial expression unreadable.

Not wanting to give the sadistic tensai the satisfaction of getting his revenge, Reiko crossed her arms before answering.

"Truth."

Fuji wanted to grin upon her predictability, but instead decided against it. He put his hand under his chin as he contemplated on a question to ask.

/ You could use this to your advantage. / His inner voice told him as a plan was formulated in his head. / But are you strong enough to take things into your own hands? / The voice taunted.

Inside, he was already steeling himself as he got ready to ask the question that he was certain would hurt him. What he did not know, was that it was capable of hurting another.

Making sure his mask was in place, Fuji crossed his arms before flashing his learning partner a pretentiously sinister smile. Not bothering with reservations, Fuji bluntly fired away.

"Do you hold any romantic affections for Tezuka?"

Everyone nearly gaped at the straightforwardness of the tennis prodigy's question. The light atmosphere instantly dissipated as it was quickly condensed into a tense one. Wide amber eyes searched the tennis prodigy's face yet the only answer they received was a blank, meaningless smile.

"Why are you doing this, Fuji?"

/ I'm doing both you and I a favour. /

The tennis prodigy merely stretched the hollow smile on his face. "That's not an answer." He told her.

"You can't ask a question that personal." Reiko argued, trying to fight back traitor tears.

"You didn't specify that when you stated the rules." Fuji corrected. Everyone could only remain silent as the tennis prodigy put his friendship with the raven-haired girl on the edge.

Reiko heaved a heavy sigh before looking down on the person beside her. Though his face remained impassive, Reiko could easily decipher the expectant look in Tezuka's eyes. No longer being able to stop her tears from falling, Reiko finally looked up to meet the tensai's gaze with her tormented eyes.

"You really are a jerk." She said, her voice quivering. She turned to her right to face Inui and in one quick motion, she grabbed the bottle of purple liquid and gulped its contents down in one swig.

Everyone gawked as they watched the raven-haired girl commit what could possibly be the closest thing to suicide.

It didn't take long for Inui's concoction to take its desired effect. Everything turned hazy before finally, darkness was all that was left. Tezuka easily caught her faint body as she collapsed.

"She's sleeping." Inui declared after examining the unconscious girl.

A deafening silence followed as everyone could only watch the events unfold.

"I'll take her home."

Everyone turned to find the tennis prodigy, face blank but azure eyes alive. A cold chill ran through everybody's spines as they learned that Fuji Syuusuke was capable of being as intimidating, or perhaps even more intimidating than the Seigaku tennis captain if he wanted to.

Perhaps being the only one that understood the situation, Tezuka hesitated at first before finally allowing Fuji to take responsibility.

"Make sure she gets to tomorrow's game on time." The tennis captain instructed before he allowed the prodigy to carry the sleeping raven on his back.

Fuji merely nodded before he headed out of the room, carrying a heavier burden than the girl on his back.

**--Outside--**

The brown-haired prodigy couldn't care less about the dirty looks that several by-standers gave him. He was too wrapped up by guilt to pay them any attention. Sighing, he gently put Reiko down on the bench where he earlier sat while waiting for the others. / Way to ruin the night for everyone, Syuusuke. / He reprimanded himself as he too sat down on the bench, exhausted, not from carrying his slumbering companion, but from carrying a burden much heavier. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his thick brown locks before taking his phone out of his pocket and dialing a number.

The line only rang thrice before someone picked up.

"Hello, Onee-san? Sorry to bother you, but it seems I'll be needing that lift after all."

"See you in 15 minutes then. Thanks Ne-san." Flipping the phone shut, Fuji put it back in his pants' pocket before leaning back on the bench. Another sigh escaped his lips as he reflected on his actions that night.

/ What are you doing, Syuusuke? Is this really how you plan to resolve this? / He asked himself before he averted his gaze to the sleeping figure beside him. Seeing her shiver slightly, the tennis prodigy took his jacket off and draped it over her. / How could you let things get so out of hand? Otou-sama isn't even here and yet you're letting him influence you to this extent. You bartered for time and yet here you waste it. / He could no longer keep his mind at peace as numerous thoughts started to flood. Thankfully an interruption came in the form of a buzzing phone.

Tracing the sound, Fuji opened his unconscious companion's white purse and fished a flashing phone out. Sliding it open, he read the new message she'd just received.

_--Message from Hasegawa Ryu--_

_Hi Rei, are you having fun? Our movie just started and it looks like we'll be finishing later than expected. Do you want to wait for us to finish or can you get home by yourself?_

_--End of Message--_

Fuji punched on several buttons before arriving at a blank screen.

_--New Message--_

_No hurry. I caught a ride with Yumiko-san and Fuji. See you at home._

_--Message sent to Hasegawa Ryu—_

The brown-haired boy slid the phone shut before placing it back inside her bag.

"I hope you don't mind me going through your bag." He whispered to the sleeping Reiko as he proceeded with the act. He then smiled upon finding what he was looking for. A set of keys attached to a stuffed panda keychain noisily dangled in his hand before he put it inside his jacket pocket.

/ This definitely makes things easier. / He thought satirically. He eyed his learning partner tenderly before whispering to her once more. "Why couldn't you just answer the question? Close your door on me so then everything would be easier?" He questioned despite not expecting an answer.

A stray lock escaped the bundle of raven hair and the tennis prodigy did not hesitate to tuck it back. His hand lingered on her cheek, tempted to stroke the porcelain skin with the pad of his thumb when his phone rang in his pocket. He scanned the nearby parking area and easily found his sister's red, double parked car stationed there. It did not matter whether his sister caught him in the act or not, he was certain that by now, everyone, except the slumbering girl beside him, were well aware of his feelings.

He slid his arm through the strap of Reiko's purse before carefully lifting her up in his arms. Yumiko held the door open so that her brother could easily place the sleeping form on the back seat. The tennis prodigy made sure his precious cargo was secure before he slid into the passenger seat.

"Did anything happen?" Yumiko asked as she reversed the car out of its parking slot.

"Inui brought one of his concoctions, and well, you know what happened next." Syuusuke replied, too exhausted to give the full details.

Yumiko merely nodded as she understood what her brother's statement meant. She and the younger lad shared a close sibling relationship, and so she was used to hearing his stories of school and tennis. The rest of the drive home was silent, and every once in a while, Yumiko would catch her brother using the rear-view mirror to check on the slumbering figure behind. It wasn't long until the older of the siblings was parking her car outside their driveway.

"Reiko-san's parents aren't at home at the moment. I was able to retrieve her keys, they're in my right pocket." He informed his sister as he carefully carried Reiko on his arms once again.

Yumiko locked her car before following his brother to the Hasegawa's door step. She took the said keys from his pocket before unlocking and opening the front door for them.

"I'll leave her keys by the coffee table." Yumiko called to her brother who was already halfway up the stairs. "The front door is open." She said before taking her leave.

Having easily located her learning partner's bedroom, he came in through the half-open door and expertly avoided stepping on any of the scattered clothes or books on the ground. He nodded his head disapprovingly upon sight of the neatly made bed.

"Out of all the days, you decide to make your bed today…" He whispered as he laid the sleeping girl on top of the covers. Walking to her closet, he searched around the messy pile of clothes for a blanket.

"Cute." He said after having accidentally found her bunny printed underwear on top of a folded blanket.

After draping the flat sheet over her sleeping form, the brown-haired boy sat on the computer chair by her bedside, silently memorizing every line on her face.

"I'm sorry." He murmured as he continued to watch her sleep. "It's for the better." He said quietly, as though he was trying to convince himself.

/ Once the door is shut, there is no more coming back. /

No longer being able to resist, he gently stroked the silky locks that kept falling on her porcelain face. Stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb, the tennis prodigy could no longer bear being so close. The more time he spent there watching her only made it harder for him to leave. When finally he was able to tear his gaze off her, he silently stood up and willed his reluctant legs to the door.

"Wait!" He heard her familiar voice call out. He remained frozen on his step, afraid that his Sleeping Beauty had finally awoken.

"Please don't go." She pleaded. Slowly, Fuji turned around and felt relief wash over him when he discovered she was only talking in her sleep. Once more, he was by her side, powerless to refuse her request.

"Not without telling me your name."

The brown-haired boy smiled genuinely. Kneeling down, he whispered to her ear.

"Syuusuke."

Allowing himself to be selfish a final time, he stroked the hair on her forehead and bent over, bidding her with a goodnight's kiss.

Just as he'd closed the bedroom door behind him, bright amber eyes instantly snapped wide open. Sitting up, Reiko scanned her surroundings carefully before finally realizing where she was. Touching her forehead, she finally let out a gasp.

"Syuusuke?"

But all she was able to hear was the distant sound of a door being closed shut.

**--**

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**XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Notes:**

Wow! After nearly two months without writing, uploading this chapter actually feels liberating.

First of all, I'd like to apologise for the 'cheese'. I think I was in a "sappy, girly-girl, priss" mode when I wrote that part.

Secondly, I'm finally on my school holidays so you can expect me to update more frequently. I'm still in a really giddy mood since I killed my English exam, so hopefully the following chapters wouldn't disappoint.

HAHAHA! I lalalalalooooved writing Tezuka singing "I'm too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. Isn't it like the most appropriate song? This is one of the beauties of fanfiction. Hahaha!

Oh yeah! I forgot to say! I meant to post this a month ago, (Oct. 7), sort of like a birthday tribute to Tezuka and my b-day present to myself... But I didn't really have time to finish it! Sooo... yeahhh! Belated happy b-day to Tezuka Kunimitsu! We're both a year older, but I'm the only one that actually ages... V_V

And of course, to my awesome awesome reviewers. I'll admit, the reason for my long period of inactivity was partly due to having lost my interest in fanfiction. Maybe it was from studying too much, but somehow it just lost its appeal to me. But after re-reading all those reviews you guys left in my last chapter, I just suddenly found my passion in writing once more. I know I'm far from being the best out there, but I'm glad there are people who appreciate my work. So many Thank You's to you guys.

SHOUT OUTS! There was an overwhelming response from the previous chapters so I hope you don't mind if I'm not too 'specific'.

**random chick!!- **LOL! It's all good. A lazy person would never move without being pushed. Thanks for reminding me!

**Moonlitelover- **That's true. Lucky he's good looking enough to pull it off as "stern" rather than "constipated"

**Riropin- **Hahaha! Don't kill him just yet! I still need him for the following chapters!

**FanFic regular person- **Thanks for the encouraging review. As for your question about Fuji and Reiko, do you really want me to answer that? Wouldn't you rather wait? hehehe!

**purplestylus- **Thanks, glad you got your internet working!

**Himitsu Love- **Here it is, Chapter 24! Don't worry, Chapter 25 is on its way. And if I may say, a big revelation awaits.

**akayuki-rin- **LOL! I guess we're the only ones who enjoyed that. Picking his name was sort of by accident. I tried to wrack my head for a Japanese name commonly given to bad guys, which started with an 'S'. And 'Sasori' popped up. It was only by the third time I typed his name that I was like... "Wait a sec, doesn't this mean 'scorpion'? Cool!"

**wolfspeaker01- **Well apparently Tezuka can recite poetry. I'm really flattered that you're not 'reading anything between chapters' when you read this. Hopefully I keep it exciting enough to keep you reading that way.

**xANIMExObsessedx- **Heart! I'm glad you're finally an official member of the family! Hahaha! Congrats on creating your own account! At least you didn't have to steal it from your sister. It makes it easier to keep track of your favourite stories, doesn't it? Anyway, thanks for that review!

**Airashii Mochidzuki- **LOL at your review! I especially loved reading it. HAHAHA!

**Anni- **Tezuka on karaoke... Apparently very funny.

**Otakugal- **Poor, mortified, humiliated Tezuka indeed.

**fujilovesme- **Thanks for that! That made me less confused. Well now that I can, I will update soon.

**ani-sand- **Well... you can't really trust Reiko in the kitchen. Yes! I agree! Let's all gang up on Fuji! He's being a total jerk at the moment!

**demonsadist- **Hahahaha! I'm glad you that chapter was effective then. Well, if you really want the DDR... hahahaha! Yeah... Loosing all that work made me write a totally different chapter. I hope you still like this one though.

**Charmane- **I'm not sure if this is better, but it's definitely something different. Thanks so much!

**Shou- **Awwww! I'm really honoured! When I really enjoy a story I read it over and over again. There's a fic I've even read 5 times. So I'm really really flattered that my fic is like that with you.

**I-Eat-My-Vegetables- **I think Tezuka took it pretty well. Hahaha... I'm glad you liked my 'twist'. Hopefully it steers this fic to the right direction. Thanks so much!

**arirido- **Ahaha! Well, he survived... But he was a bit of an ass in this chapter though. T_T.

**invisible-gurl, animeninja13, me, mitchy, ****unknown player****- **Thanks so much! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter!

Alright guys! I hope you all liked this chapter. Again, for those who are puking by now, I'm sorry about the mushiness of the ending. It wasn't really supposed to end that way since like I said, I split this chapter into two.

Also, I'd just like to say that... This fic is almost coming to an end! There're possibly only a few (very long) chapters left! Of course, I'm not going to leave any loose ends untied, so I promise I'll try to make them the best I possibly could!

Expect a really big surprise in the next chapter. I don't want any of my readers getting a heart attack! The awaited Seigaku-Hyotei, Seigaku-Rikkai showdown... AND a much awaited confrontation to come!

**That's All Folks! Don't forget to review on your way out! Thank You! Come Again!**


	25. A Taste of Failure

If anyone is still reading this, here's Chapter 25 of Battle of the Tensais.

Update: Sorry! I haven't written in soooo long that I accidentally changed the format in this chapter. In case anyone is wondering, the words enclosed like **// this // **indicate character thoughts. I'll fix it up the next time I find time!

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**Chapter 25**

A Taste of Failure

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Sitting under the old maple tree on her grandfather's backyard, the little girl enviously watched the neighbourhood kids play tag from afar. Sighing, she shifted her gaze to the clay court ahead. It was currently occupied by a raven-haired man, a small boy around her age, and a hundred or so scattered balls. Crossing her legs in an Indian sit, she rested her elbow on her lap before perching her head on her hand, letting out another bored sigh as she resumed to watching her Oji-san hit more tennis balls to the little boy.

"That's it. Try to put a little skip in your step before charging for the ball." The raven-haired man instructed before demonstrating the split-step himself.

The little boy nodded before accurately mirroring the older man.

"Very nice." The little girl's grandfather complimented before continuing to hit tennis balls to each side of the court. "That way, it's easier for you to change directions."

Bored, the little girl stood and grabbed the tennis ball and racquet that rested on the grass. She walked a few steps to the paved footpath before dribbling the ball on the cement ground with her racquet. She only took her eyes away from the bouncing ball when a loud ringing from a distance called her attention.

"Ah! There's a phone call." The old man said, refraining from hitting anymore tennis balls to the other side. "Let's take a break shall we?"

"Reiko, don't wander off too far. It'll be your turn soon." The old man said before fully disappearing inside the house. The little girl merely nodded, too engrossed in bouncing the bright yellow ball with her racquet.

"Ne, ne… Why aren't you playing with the other kids?"

Startled, the bouncing ball hit the frame of the girl's racquet, causing it to bounce off to another direction. Following the ball's path, she found it stop by a shoe before being picked up by a small hand. Shyly, she kept her gaze low, watching the stranger's feet as they drew closer. Seeing the outstretched hand in front of her, the little girl slowly looked up, facing the vibrantly smiling boy who eyed her with curious expectation.

"The other kids don't like me…"

"Why?" The boy continued to prod, letting the little girl take the ball from his possession.

"They say I look scary (1)." She answered.

"Scary?" The boy repeated, putting a hand under his chin as he seemed deep in thought. "Ne, I think you heard them wrong. I think you're cute (2)." He told her. Despite his innocent years, there was an unusual certainty accompanying his statement warranting childlike genuineness.

Thinking she had misheard, the little raven asked. "Cute?"

"Hai! Like a panda!"

"Panda? Nani?"

"Eh? Don't you know what a panda is?" The boy asked disbelievingly. Embarrassed, the little girl looked down on her toes and fiddled with her fingers.

"Eto…" The boy put a hand under his chin, again deep in thought. Snapping his fingers at an idea, he said "A panda is a bear, but the colour is black and white. Like your skin and your hair."

The boy now tapped on his chin as he thought of more ways to explain. He then pointed to the little girl's face, his finger mere inches away from her eyes.

"They have dark circles under their eyes, like you."

Being naturally pale in colour, the bluish tint of the veins under the little girl's skin seemed more visible when compared to most, giving her a sickly, almost ghostly image.

The boy grabbed the girl's arm and raised it until it was high as his shoulder. "And they're fat." He said, pointing to the arm he was holding.

"It's not nice to call people fat." Offended, the little girl withdrew her hand.

The little boy let out a chuckle. "Gomen, gomen." He apologized in between fits.

"I like pandas." The boy said, putting his hands behind his back as he watched the girl resume her dribbling the ball with the racquet.

"Your name is Reiko, ne?"

The little girl nodded.

"Saa… Would you like to play, Reiko-chin?"

Little Reiko abruptly stopped her dribbling. So many times she'd wished for someone to ask her that very question, that, now someone has, she could only point to herself with a puzzled look strewn all over her pallid face and confirm. "Me?"

"Who else?"

The young raven put the ball and racquet down immediately, an overwhelming joy quenching the long drought of loneliness.

Finding a smile, she asked. "What do you want to play?"

**--**

"Anou... Ji-chan said not to go too far..." A shy voice mumbled.

"Saa... We're almost there. It isn't far at all." A boyish voice reassured.

The boy with honey brown hair and the pale, raven-haired girl turned round another corner in their game of adventure. Now and again, the little girl would look behind her to see if her grandfather's house was still in view. Finding her surroundings unfamiliar, the little girl abruptly came to a stop.

"I can't see ji-chan's house anymore..." The little girl said, shoulders quivering, voice trembling.

The little boy abruptly stopped in his tracks, brows furrowing as he turned to around to find his companion in tears.

Curious, he asked "Why are you crying?"

"We're lost." The little girl answered, allowing the tears from her misty amber eyes to finally fall.

The fair-haired boy smiled. He took a towel from his backpack and offered it to the girl. "Ne, don't cry anymore." He coaxed but to no avail. He squatted down to level himself with his playmate and with his free hand, patted the little girl's head.

Unaccustomed to the gesture, the younger Reiko looked up in surprise, only to find herself even more stunned by the most striking pair of eyes she'd ever seen. Azure eyes so intense yet gentle brought the calm to her troubled heart. With the towel he wiped away her tears, with his smile he purged her worries.

An outstretched hand

"Saa... Let's go, Reiko-chin."

Hesitation

"Don't worry. I'll take you home. I'll protect you. I promise."

Confusion

"Why?"

"Because silly," As the smile on the boy's face grew, so did its genuineness. "You're my tomodachi."

The corners of the little girl's lips tugged upwards upon sight of the boy's contagious smile. Gladly, she took his hand, placing her trust in his in exchange for what he offered.

Friendship

The two children retraced their steps to the tennis coach's house hand in hand in comfortable silence. Entering the opened backyard fence, they decided to play another game whilst waiting for the girl's grandfather to finish with his phone call. They were about to play a game of hide and seek when the smooth humming of a car engine caught the boy's attention. Seeing a familiar vehicle park by the driveway, the little boy quickly ran to gather his bag and his racquet.

"Gomen ne, Reiko-chin. I have to go now. My otou-san is taking me to his office today and he doesn't like waiting." He bade her before rushing towards the parked car.

"Anou..." The little girl mumbled coyly.

The boy turned his back around to face the girl once more. "We'll play again next time, ne?" He asked.

The young raven could only nod her head silently. Watching her new acquaintance drift further and further away, she suddenly remembered a thought that sent her small legs running after him.

"Wait!" She called. In her haste, the raven-haired girl didn't notice that her shoelace had come undone. She plummeted to the ground with a loud thud.

The little boy stopped in his tracks. Turning around he found his playmate lying flat on the concrete pavement. He quickly ran up to her, put his bag down and rummaged through his items.

"Here." He said, presenting a band-aid.

The girl sat up and took his what he offered wordlessly. Instead of tears, the girl asked "Anou... We're friends ne?" She kept her head low as she put the plaster strip on her grazed knee.

The little boy smiled. "Of course!" He bent down to level himself with her, offering her his hand once again.

"Then is it okay if I ask you your name?" She asked meekly. Once more she took his hand, though this time there seemed to be something different, the hand she took seemed larger, stronger.

"Sure. But you have to promise never to forget." A different voice said.

Confused, the little girl nodded before finally looking up. She was surprised to find a familiar face staring gently at her with his effervescent smile.

"Syuusuke."

**--**

"Syuusuke?"

With a sudden jolt from the revelation, Reiko snapped her eyes wide open. Finally, she was awake.

Sitting upright, she shook her head a few times before her eyes focused on the bedroom window, the vividness of her dream leaving her partly disoriented with reality.

She buried her face in her palm as she mentally put the puzzle pieces together. What first started as Inui's mere speculation grew into something more plausible. And now, remembering her dream, there was almost a certainty.

She remembered her first day in Seigaku; the untraceable feeling of familiarity after having bumped into him. Their trip to Yasukuni; the first time she'd seen his real smile—a trigger to memories that have since been haunting her sleep. She remembered when everything began feeling right; the day she'd acknowledged him as a friend, rather than her nemesis.

How could she have forgotten her first friend? The one who pulled her out of her shell, the one whose strength gave her confidence, the one whose passion inspired her to find what she loved.

Everything made perfect sense now, and yet slowly she began to feel frustration.

// Does he still remember me? //

// How could I forget? //

She was distracted from the various thoughts when she heard a creak from outside her bedroom. A flurry of images flooded her mind and her hand instinctively reached for her forehead, an unusual warmth suddenly enveloping her. Without consent, her legs moved on their own, running her down the flight of stairs and charging outside the front door.

She could feel the blood rush to her head, hear the erratic beating of her heart in her ears. For a moment, it felt like her mind had lost control over her body as she saw him with his back turned and walking away from her. Again.

She couldn't will herself to do anything else except-

"WAIT!"

It was as though her voice had a mysterious command over his senses. Fuji stopped in his tracks, torn between opposing desires. When finally he decided to take another step forward, a tug on his shirt kept him in place.

He turned around and was surprised to see her clutching the bottom of his shirt. Her piercing amber eyes stared intently at his face, at the beginning uncertain but grew more confident by the second, as though each line on his face was a piece of evidence to her private investigation.

"It's you, isn't it? I remember now," her eyes never left his face.

Fuji opened his mouth, but then found that his words would not come out. All hope of being able to pull away was lost now that she remembered.

"That's what all this is about, isn't it? Why you've been acting weird. You knew, didn't you?" Amber sought cerulean for answers.

He'd allowed her to come too close, let his mask slip. And now it grew useless, he could no longer hide behind it. He took a deep breath, preparing himself. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked through gritted teeth, annoyed.

"Did I have to?" It was his turn to go on the offensive. "I was just a random kid. Why does it matter so much?"

"How dare you?" Her shoulders shook in anger now, outraged by his statement. "How dare you belittle something I treasure dearly? You're more than that!" She didn't bother keeping her voice even anymore.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way," He told her calmly, coldly. He stared into her questioning eyes, a final memory before he allowed his heart to turn cold "Because we can't be friends."

Reiko felt her mouth drop, stunned. Earlier she felt an unexplainable contentment in learning that it was indeed he who was the childhood friend she'd been trying to find all this time. Perhaps it was because the once void in her heart had now been filled. They'd been getting along well recently, and so she did not expect the new-found satisfaction to be so short-lived.

"Why?" She muttered.

To keep silent was all he could do so his mask could stay intact. Anything more would have broken him completely.

"Look, if you're offended that I didn't remember sooner then I'm sorry," she said. "I'll make it up to you, whatever you want." Her voice was almost pleading now.

"That's not it."

She looked at him, confused. "Then what is it? Whatever it is, I'm sure we could work it out. Right?"

He closed his eyes and sighed once more. He was tired. "I don't want to."

His sharp stare pierced right through her heart. "What?" was all she managed to say.

"I don't want to be your friend, Hasegawa. I'm sorry."

He turned around, carting his legs toward his house. He'd thought he'd feel much better after everything was over and done with. He never expected the pain to be heavier than any burden already on his shoulders. Now there was a burden on his heart.

The way he'd looked at her, the way he'd meant every word, she could only watch, numb and paralysed as he walked away from her.

**--**

Mr. Hasegawa discreetly watched with concern as his daughter popped her spoon—which had just failed to scoop the single, soggy piece of cereal left in her bowl—inside her mouth mechanically. When he saw his daughter chew despite having nothing in her mouth, the middle-aged man finally put his newspaper down and cleared his throat.

"Reiko, are you feeling alright?"

The raven-haired girl gulped the milk down slowly before absentmindedly looking across the table. "Yeah. Why?" She answered half-heartedly.

"Really now?" Mr. Hasegawa said skeptically, raising a brow in disbelief.

Reiko shrugged her shoulders as she mentally fished for an excuse. "Just nervous. I don't know." She said before picking her bowl up and dumping it on the sink.

"Nervous?" The middle-aged man reiterated. Brushing his suspicion off, he accepted his daughter's excuse and went back to his breakfast.

Heading straight to the living room, Reiko slung her racquet bag on her shoulders. In a daze, she unlocked the front door and made her exit.

**--**

"Mou, what's wrong with everyone today?" Chiharu griped, tensing upon the grim aura surrounding their entire tennis team. "Oishi's not here yet and apparently so is Rei." She continued, eyeing the said girl who was presently caught up in her own bubble.

At least she wasn't too far in a daze. Upon hearing her name, the raven perked her head up in response. "Huh?" She said, dumbfounded.

Chiharu almost slapped herself in frustration. "Nothing. How about you go back to 'Reiko Land' and I'll call you when your match is on?" She said sourly.

Remembering the events of the previous night, Ayumi quickly understood what it was that bothered her raven-haired friend. She let out a breath before stepping in. "Alright, that's enough Chiharu. I'm sure the team doesn't need any more negativity. Why don't you wait for Oishi by the gates?" She suggested, ushering her friend towards the direction of the entrance.

Meanwhile, careful eyes remained fixed on the perplexed figure sitting on the bench. Taking notice of her body language; chin resting heavily on the palm of her hand, eyes focused intently into space and feet restlessly tapping on the floor, concern settled on Tezuka's usually placid face. Finally he made his way to the distressed maiden and clearing his throat he called on her attention before finally taking the vacant seat next to her.

"Hasegawa." His baritone voice began. He need not say anymore as he his eyes did most of the talking.

Slowly, Reiko looked up, only to have her defences crushed by the weight of Tezuka's stare. Not being able to withstand, she quickly lowered her gaze to her feet, keeping silent as she contemplated what to say.

Usually patient, the tennis captain felt unusually irked by the silence. He pushed the bridge of his glasses up, closed his eyes, before speaking. "What's—"

"Attention. To all teams who have not yet registered, please proceed to the registration desk and do so now. Again, to all teams who have not submitted their registration forms, please proceed to the registration desk and do so now. Matches will begin in twenty minutes. Thank you."

Interrupted, Tezuka looked up to find his teammates' attentions focused on him. He knew very well there was a problem he needed to resolve. Subtly he let out a sigh, being the captain was what he had to be right now, being Tezuka Kunimitsu would have to come later.

"Later after the games," he began, rising from his seat. "We'll talk. Please come find me."

"A-ah" she stammered. Reiko could very well guess what the stoic lad wanted to discuss with her, and a wave of panic swept her internally. She could hear her blood pounding in her head as she dreaded what was to come.

"Reiko," Ayumi interrupted, taking the said girl back to reality. "We have to get to the court now." She reminded, inclining her head to the direction of the girls' tennis courts. The raven sighed heavily, picked up her bag and followed her friend to the said venue.

Meanwhile, vigilant sapphire eyes kept watch until the raven had faded into the distance.

"Fuji?" Kawamura called, eyes curious as he stared at his rooted teammate. The said boy merely smiled before proceeding to head to where the rest of his teammates were, leaving the power player even more confounded.

**--Later that day--**

Spinning tremendously over the net, the ball then curved up and out of sight before landing just on the baseline and bouncing perfectly into Fuji's hand. All were still and silent, awestruck as they gaped at the brown haired boy, who seemed more like a magician on the court after having executed feats no one could even begin to imagine.

"I see,_ Hakugei_." The data collector declared.

"Inui, you know of this?" A nearly bowled over Oishi asked.

"Nope, I just thought it was a cool name." Inui replied before jotting it down on his trusty green notebook.

After the initial shock, the Seigaku bench quickly jumped on their feet, elated with the nearing victory their ever-so-reliable Fuji-senpai was to bring.

"Echizen. Get your racquet."

Surprised at the unusual command at first, Echizen soon cracked a knowing grin as he understood what it was his captain sought from him. An enthusiastic "Hai" then followed before the freshman obediently got his tennis racquet and followed in tow.

"Game and match. Seigaku six games to one."

Amidst everyone's celebration, one person was able to trace the tensai's dissatisfaction.

**--**

Walking over to the bench, Kaita Keiko bowed her head in gratitude, willingly taking congratulatory pats on the back from her teammates. While clapping, Ayumi approached her raven-haired teammate who seemed to be in a daze while she too applauded the gentle giant for her win.

"Alright Reiko, the last match is up to you now." Ayumi said, pulling Reiko out of her tranced state. "Give us a good finale okay?" The rest of the Varsity members eyed their 'trump card' expectantly.

Her lips formed half a smile before giving them a firm nod. Gripping her racquet tightly, Reiko walked into court with her heart racing. This was it, her first official tennis match. Ironically, this match had to also decide the fate of their team, if they would proceed to the next round or not.

// Alright Rei, concentrate. This is the real thing now. // She told herself, urging her brain to think only of tennis and nothing else. Yet the more she sought to forget, the more she remembered.

"Heads or tails?" The umpire asked, interrupting her mental monologue.

"Tails." A high-pitched, nasal voice said. Only then did Reiko get a good look at her opponent. On the other side of the net stood a scrawny-looking girl with pasty skin and pig tails. She towered over her by a head and the yellow Rikkaidai uniform she wore looked a few sizes too big. For a moment, the raven was dumbfounded.

She whisked her head whilst inwardly reprimanding herself. // What does Rexy-sensei always tell you? Never underestimate the opponent. //

"Tails." The umpire announced after inspecting the coin she had tossed a few moments ago. Handing a couple of balls to the smaller player, the umpire proceeded to her bench to start the match. "This is a one-set match, Rikkaidai Fuzouku to serve. Love all, play."

Reiko watched as her opponent clumsily dribbled the bright yellow tennis ball behind her service line. As soon as her opponent's bony arm tossed the ball in the air, the raven bent her knees slightly and kept on her toes, anticipating the serve.

"Eh?" A large bead of sweat trickled down the back of her head as soon as she saw the ball float high up in the air and land a few feet before the net.

"Fault! Love all!"

Ayumi, Chiharu and Kaita could only react the same way. Across to the opponents' side, the Rikkaidai bench all seemed to have turned pale.

"Damn it. We should've prepared for a tie-break." A girl clad in yellow cursed under her breath.

On the court, Reiko heaved a sigh of relief. // At least God is cutting me _some_ slack! //

**--**

As they both headed back to the match court, Tezuka suddenly came to a stop, causing the freshman tennis ace to wonder. Seeing his captain's distant gaze, he followed it curiously before landing right on target.

A smug smirk suddenly formed on Echizen's usually impassive face. "Hm? _Someone_ catch your eye, buchou?" He asked haughtily.

Unfazed, Tezuka pushed his glasses up by the bridge and resumed walking despite a part of him that did not want to.

"Did you analyse Fuji's match well?" He asked, as though he was the least bit interested.

"Of course." Echizen replied confidently. A memory suddenly tugged on the corners of the young boy's mind, causing his expression to change. "Usually you two are a little hard to read. Since you and Fuji-senpai hardly ever reveal your true skills," he trailed.

Tezuka waited for him to finish patiently, although he already knew where the freshman was getting at.

"And yet, Fuji-senpai pulled the big guns out at the start of the match."

Tezuka was perhaps the only other person to somehow understand what went on inside the tensai's head. "Mada mada, huh?" He murmured, loud enough for the rookie to hear.

Realizing his captain's unwillingness to share what he knew, Echizen shrugged before shoving his hands in his pocket. "For you it's more like _Yudan Sezu ni Ikou_ right?" The freshman teased.

**--**

"Aniki"

Hearing the familiar voice, Fuji looked to the bleachers and found his brother among the crowd, concern strewn all over his face, rarely the expression that occupied it.

"Yuta?" He called inquisitively, one brow arched as he questioned the look his brother was giving him.

"I should be the one to make that face" was the younger one's reply. Pointing his index towards a secluded shed, Yuta motioned his brother to follow.

Reaching the place he'd spotted, the dark-haired boy crossed his arms before eyeing his brother sternly. "So aniki, what's going on?"

The question took the tennis prodigy by surprise for a moment, before the comprehending smile appeared on his face.

"Saa, I guess no one knows one better than their family, right?"

**--**

The rest of the Varsity's mouths hung wide open as they watched the remainder of the game in shock. Everything had been going smoothly. Reiko was but one game away from bringing the team victory and yet the sudden turn of events left everyone perplexed. It was not that their opponent started playing well, it was quite the contrary, Reiko's game had suddenly dropped the ante, big time. What was she trying to do? Was she trying to be nice and wanted to spare her opponent one game? No, her teammates were sure Reiko knew that losing a game on purpose would be insulting rather than generous. So why was she missing every single shot?

Reiko watched as the ball soared high over the net once again, another give away. Getting into position, Reiko raised her tennis racquet overhead, arcing her back slightly as she got ready to smash.

// No! Not again! // She exclaimed mentally. She instantly knew she'd executed the shot wrong straight after her racquet had made contact with the ball.

Everyone in the Seigaku bench cringed as they watched the ball fly way over the fence and almost knock a passer-by out.

"Game, Rikkaidai. One game to five."

"Jeez! What's wrong with Reiko? Her timing is all wrong it's like she's a beginner all over again!" Chiharu whined while her teammates could only shrug, also thinking the same thing.

"Well, it's her service game now. Hopefully she'll end it here." Kaita's deep voice prayed.

// Oh please, not now. // Reiko pleaded as she dribbled the ball behind the service line. // Just one more match. //

Catching the ball in her hand, she tossed it high up in the air. With her legs she propelled herself to catch the ball at its highest point, focusing all her power into her racquet arm. The moment she made contact with the ball, again she knew something was off.

Once more, the ball flew high above the fence. People had already stopped passing by from all the balls that threatened to hit them.

"Fault! Love all!" The umpire declared, inwardly horrified by the level of performance the two players on her court were displaying.

// No good, smashes and overhead shots don't come naturally. I have to feel my way through the end of this match. // She thought, thinking of another way to get her serves in. // The only way I'd get anything in is if I hit them underhand, but that would make it a giveaway. // She could feel the frustration building up inside her as she desperately sought for a way out of her pinch.

She shut her eyes tightly as she tried to bottle the frustration. // Why did _everything _have to happen now? // She griped inwardly, thinking of all the things that crashed down on her simultaneously. Her eyes suddenly snapped open as she found an answer in the midst of her misery.

// That's it! // She rejoiced inwardly before catching the ball in her hand. She pulled her racquet arm back for an underhanded serve while her other hand spun the ball before letting it drop.

Seeing the ball disappear and reappear, everyone was instantly caught in a different kind of shock.

"F-fifteen, love!" The umpire declared, staggered.

The raven closed her eyes and smiled bitterly in silent thanks. // Damn it. I owe you for this and so much more. //

**--**

Fuji Yuta couldn't help letting out a scoff. "You know what's funny? People call you a tensai even though you're the dumbest person I know." He said bluntly, a cynical smile forming on his lips. "And what I kills is that I can't even get past the shadow of an idiot like you."

Guilty, sapphire eyes sought forgiveness. "Yuta—"

"Don't even go there. I didn't call you here for an apology." He snapped, silencing the older Fuji. "You know what I hate about you? You never even bother to try. I'd like to think you were a coward, but I know you're not. You had the guts to bargain for time, right? And then you just go around wasting it, so I guess you're really just an idiot."

The fair-haired boy could only remain silent.

"You're game today was different. Why?"

It was evident in the tennis prodigy's eyes that he was taken aback by his brother's question. "I don't think I follow, Yuta."

"Right off the start, you played seriously. You tried. Why?" The younger repeated.

"I—" Not knowing what to say next, Syuusuke paused to think. "Taka—"

"Crap." Yuta cut off. "Whatever it was you were about to say, we both know it's not the reason." How long was his brother going to play in denial? Feeling his patience for it run out, he turned around and focused on the nearest court, where the most anticipated match of the day was being played.

"You're not fooling anyone but yourself, aniki. So why don't you spare yourself the lie. Why did you try?"

Fuji Syusuke thought hard to find the answer, sought the truth amidst the lies. When finally he understood, it was as if his eyes had been pried open to see what it was he failed to see.

"Because I wanted to. I wanted to try."

Yuta turned to face his brother once more, his arms crossing across his chest. "But you're not satisfied?" He questioned, almost smirking as he saw a new fire blaze in his brother's eyes, the fire he had lit.

"No. I'm not." As he finally faced the truth, Fuji Syuusuke felt the weight of his burdens suddenly disappear.

"Why not?" Yuta continued to press.

The tennis prodigy exhaled heavily. "Because I haven't tried hard enough." Fuji Syuusuke looked up to face his brother, his lips breaking into a smile.

"Yuta?" He called.

"Hm?" It was the younger's turn to look clueless.

"Since when did you get to be so smart?"

The boy with the cross shaped scar grinned smugly. "I think it runs in the family."

**--**

"Seigaku, six games to one!" The umpire finally declared, causing all the Varsity members to jump for joy.

"We're through!" Ayumi and Chiharu chorused while Kaita applauded the approaching Reiko.

"You gave us all a scare back there." Chiharu teased.

Reiko could only flash her teammates a faint smile. The happy atmosphere quickly dissipated when they saw the raven take nearly stumble to take a seat whilst rubbing her temples.

"Is anything wrong, Hasegawa-san?" The girls' captain asked worriedly.

"Um, yeah. I think I have a migraine." Reiko heistantly admitted.

"No wonder you kept missing those shots!" Chiharu exclaimed. "Are you alright? Do you wanna go to the hospital?" She asked, then noticing that her friend was indeed paler than usual.

"That's okay. I can take myself."

"As if we'd let you go by yourself." Ayumi contradicted.

"No really, I'm fine to go there by myself. It's just a headache." Seeing the unconvinced looks on her teammate's faces, she continued to reason. "I was able to finish my match right? Besides, the Regulars need all the support they can get right? You saw Hyotei's cheering squad, there's like two hundred of them!" She almost smiled upon seeing their expressions waver.

"Are you sure?" The gentle giant asked again.

"Of course I'm sure. I think they should be almost done by now too. So you can just come by when they finish."

"Hm..." The three deliberated.

"Well, alright." Chiharu approved hesitantly. "But leave us your stuff so we can be sure you'll wait."

Reiko let out a sigh. "All right." She quickly packed her things and took her phone and wallet out before handing them her bag. "Keep me updated alright?" She requested, raising her phone to indicate what she meant. She went on her way as soon as her teammates gave her acquiescent nods.

// Oh well. At least I wouldn't have to confront Tezuka-san today. // Reiko thought as she made her way to the hospital. Taking her phone out, she slid it open and dialled home.

"Hello mom?" She spoke into the receiver after hearing someone pick up. "Yeah, we're through to the next round. Listen, I'm just calling to let you know I'll be giving Okita-sensei a visit today."

There was a long silence on the other line before Mrs. Hasegawa spoke again.

"I'm okay, just a bit of a headache. You don't have to come... Yup, I'll see you when I get home. Bye."

Placing the phone inside her pocket, Reiko looked at the building before her and let out a sigh before entering. She made her way through the familiar lobby until she finally reached the reception desk. A friendly looking lady greeted her through the other side of the glass.

"Hello. How may I help you?"

"Hi, is Doctor Okita in today?" Reiko inquired, leaning on the marble counter.

The lady typed the name on the keyboard and kept silent until something came up on the monitor. "Yes, he's in. Do you have an appointment?"

"Um, no, but I'm a regular patient. Do you think it would be possible to book an appointment with him today?"

The lady looked at the monitor once again before turning her attention back to Reiko. "Well you're in luck, his 2 o'clock just cancelled so he's free right now. I'll ring his line to let him know you're coming. May I have the name please?"

"Oh, Hasegawa Reiko."

"One moment, Hasegawa-san."

The amber-eyed girl merely nodded as she patiently waited for the receptionist to finish her call.

Putting the phone down, the receptionist called on Reiko once more. "Hasegawa-san? Okita-san will see you now."

"Thank you. Fourth or fifth floor?" She asked.

"Fourth" said the lady. Reiko bowed in gratitude before proceeding to the elevators.

**--**

DING!

Stepping out of the elevator, Reiko read the sign on the wall to make sure she was on the right floor.

"4. Opthalmology Ward" The sign read. She turned left and walked down the hospital corridor until she reached the room she was looking for.

"Okita Y. MD" was the name written on the door. Knocking three times, she heard a familiar voice tell her to come in and with another deep sigh, she entered.

**--**

The trio arrived at the boys' courts and found Echizen in a match against a boy with light-brown hair, who seemed to have an annoying penchant for the word _Gekokujou. _Making their way down the steps, Kaita, Chiharu and Ayumi approached the rest of the Seigaku tennis team.

Seeing the person she'd been longing to see, Chiharu quickly made her way and gave her boyfriend a tap on the back.

The Seigaku vice captain turned around and hatched a smile upon the face the greeted him.

"How's your wrist?" The hazel-eyed girl asked, squeezing into the space between Inui and Oishi.

"Better." The fukubuchou replied.

"AH! You're done!" Kikumaru squawked after finally noticing the Varsity's presence. "How did you you go? How did you go? How did you go?" He asked, obviously both curious and excited.

Ayumi gave the redhead a thumbs-up. "We're through. How about you guys?"

"Nyaaa! That's not fair! We still have to play a tie-break! And ochibi is taking his time playing with Hyotei!" Kikumaru whined.

"Tie-break? Really?" The gentle giant asked, then answered by nods from the regulars. "Hmm... I thought Tezuka-san would've finished it off for you guys." An ominous atmosphere suddenly enveloped them after they heard the gentle giant's innocent remark.

Oblivious to the events, Chiharu continued to prod. "Speaking of Tezuka-san. I don't see him anywhere." The hazel-eyed girl looked around the bleachers and truly enough, the acclaimed tennis captain was nowhere to be found.

"Tezuka's... Tezuka injured his shoulder during his match against Atobe." Oishi said grimly. "He went to the hospital straight after his match to get it checked out."

Thankfully, the unbearable silence was broken by the tensai who had emerged from nowhere. "Speaking of missing people..."

Remembering the events of the previous night, everyone eyed the tennis prodigy oddly, confused by his sudden mood swings. Understanding the reason behind the peculiar stares, Fuji merely shrugged and continued with his own investigation.

"The Varsity seems to be a member short as well." He said, eyeing the familiar tennis bag Kaita was carrying.

"Err..." Chiharu began, unsure about giving the honey-haired boy information after last night.

"Reiko is in the hospital as well. She wasn't feeling too well after her match." Ayumi continued, deciphering the genuine concern the tennis prodigy tried to hide.

The smile on the tensai's face quickly vaporized and once again, everyone saw the solemn Fuji they came across that morning. Without another word, the tennis prodigy picked up his tennis bag and left.

Inui adjusted his glasses before silently jotting his observations down on his notebook.

"ARGH! Who does that Fuji Syuusuke think he is?! After what he did to Rei last night! The nerve!" She continued to rage, unknowingly squeezing on her boyfriend's injured wrist.

"Maa. No one really understands why Fuji does things the way he does." Oishi said, trying hard to pacify his seething girlfriend while simultaneously trying to stop his tears. "Mou Chiharu, maybe you'd like to take it easy on my wrist?"

The hazel-eyed girl instantly let go, a furious blush staining her cheeks. "Oops! Sorry!" She apologised. "It's just, the way he treated Rei-chan last night was so infuriating! Who gave him the right!" She fumed, her blood suddenly starting to boil once more. Oishi quickly put his hands in his pocket, afraid that he'd be permanently handicapped.

**--**

"Tsk tsk. Hasegawa Reiko, you've been very naughty." Okita-sensei's mellow voice reprimanded as he pulled away from the biomicroscope. Despite the salt and pepper hair that deceived people of his age, Okita Yuujin was a handsome man in his early forties.

The raven could only chuckle guiltily.

"And contact lenses! You've just given me a lot to work on young lady." He continued as he finished jotting down his observations on a sheet of paper. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh before handing a copy of the sheet to the amber-eyed girl.

"Give this to mom and dad and tell them that I'd like you three to come and see me again tomorrow morning. Be here at 9 so we have plenty of time."

"Hai." Reiko complied obediently before hopping off the exam chair. "Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, sensei."

"You're my number one customer after all." The middle-aged man joked. "Be good okay? Wear your glasses and eat your vegetables."

Reiko grimaced upon hearing the second part but nodded her head anyway. "See you tomorrow." She bade, bowing down before taking her leave.

**--**

Reiko folded the paper four times before putting it inside her pocket. She took her phone out to check for messages and wasn't surprised when she found none. // The boys must still be playing. // She thought as she watched the numbers on top of the elevator door descend.

DING

Looking up from her phone, the raven-haired girl was stunned to find the elevator door reveal an all too familiar face.

"Tezuka-san?" Her cheeks were suddenly warm upon sight of him.

"Hasegawa."

The atmosphere tensed as the two continued to stare at each other silently. The bell rung once more as a warning and Tezuka got on the lift before its doors could come to a close.

"A-anou..." Reiko began, wanting to break the awkward silence between them.

"Are you all right?" Tezuka inquired, his placid face cracking with concern.

"H-hai. I got a migraine after my match, nothing serious. How about you? What brings you here?" She asked, still unable to get rid of her apprehension.

"I injured my shoulder during my match with Atobe." He answered monotonously.

Reiko's face instantly broke with worry. "Are you okay? Does it hurt? That cheap bas—"

"It wasn't Atobe's fault. I chose to be reckless." He interrupted before the raven could further jump into conclusions.

Immediately, she was silenced. "Oh."

"I'm going to get it examined right now." Just then, the elevator bell rung and the door opened to the third floor.

"I see. I guess I'll see you later then ne?" Reiko said rather evasively.

Tezuka stepped out of the elevator but kept his hold on the 'open' button. Staring into the raven's amber eyes he asked,

"Will you accompany me if it's not too much of a bother?"

Taken aback by his unexpected request, Reiko could only nod in response.

The two walked down the corridor before stopping outside room 305. The door was closed and so Tezuka knocked for a few times.

"Come in." A voice called from inside.

A middle-aged man swivelled his chair a hundred and eighty degrees to face the two teens that entered the room.

"Please take a seat." He instructed, motioning to the two seats in front of his desk. Reiko willingly obliged while Tezuka put his tennis bag down before proceeding to do as he was told.

"Tezuka-san?" The physician asked turning his attention to the bespectacled boy.

"Hai." The tennis captain confirmed.

"What seems to be the problem?" The older man asked.

"I strained my shoulder during a tennis match and I would like to get it examined."

"I see." The doctor stood up from his seat and motioned the bespectacled boy to sit on the small bed across the room.

"Do you mind taking your shirt off so I can have a look at the shoulder?"

Reiko's pulse started to race upon hearing the physician's question. Tezuka merely nodded as he did what was asked. Seeing the stoic boy start taking off his shirt, Reiko couldn't decide on whether she should look away or not. By the time she made her decision, Tezuka had already taken his shirt off, exposing the perfectly toned physique that made the Reiko's usually pale cheeks turn red.

"Hm... Can you indicate where the pain is coming from, and whether it is a dull pain or sharp pain?"

"I feel a sharp pain mostly around the left deltoid area." The doctor slightly raised his brows, impressed by his patient's anatomical knowledge.

"Well, there is no bruising or swelling so we can rule out a shoulder fracture. It looks like you may have a torn rotator cuff." The doctor speculated before tinkering with a bulky machine stationed beside the small bed. "I'll call a sonographer so we can take an ultra sound, I'll be back in a few minutes." He said, leaving an extremely flushed Reiko and a seemingly preoccupied Tezuka.

An unbearable silence enveloped them once more, and Reiko could only sigh as she prepared herself for a confrontation. // I guess I might as well get it over with. //

"Anou, Tezuka-san," Reiko started, trying to break the silence once more. "This morning you said you wanted to talk?"

"Aa." He replied, pulling his gaze away from the window and to the girl that sat on the other side of the room.

There was something about his stare that made her nervous. She could feel a hard lump form in her throat as she struggled to speak. "W-what is it that you want to talk to me about?" She asked shakily.

For a moment Tezuka remained silent before patting the empty space beside him, the uncharacteristic gesture giving the raven a good shock. Nevertheless, she found herself sitting beside him on the small hospital bed, her heart pounding madly in her chest.

"About last night," The bespectacled boy began. "I'll be honest with you..."

Reiko kept her head low, eyes tightly shut as she expected the worst.

"I was never known to be a talker," he paused to gather every ounce of confidence he could find within him. "But I do get straight to the point. So I'll try to make this clear without using many words and I truly hope you understand."

**--**

Reaching the hospital, Fuji abruptly stopped in his tracks as soon as he realized he had no idea where to start looking. His sharp azure eyes scanned the lobby methodically and yet found no face familiar.

// Should I just call her? // The tensai was starting to run out of ideas when his gaze finally landed on the marble reception desk.

// I guess it's worth a shot. // He told himself, taking his phone out of his bag before approaching the counter.

A woman in her mid-twenties greeted the tennis prodigy with a friendly smile. "Hi. How may I help you?" She asked.

Putting on his practiced smile, Fuji leaned on the counter and raised his phone so the receptionist could see. "Hello. I'm looking for a friend who came here earlier to get checked up. She left her phone in a hurry and I'm here to give it back." He said.

After seeing the tennis bag on the fair-haired boy's shoulders, the receptionist recognised the uniform he was sporting. "Ah yes! You're friend is in the outpatients ward. Level three, room 305. Turn right out of the elevator. It's the room at the end of the corridor." She told him.

The tennis prodigy was slightly surprised at how easily his plan worked. // She must've recognised the uniform. // He thought. Nevertheless, he thanked the receptionist for giving him directions before heading for the lift.

"Thank you very much."

The receptionist gave him another smile. "No worries. Good luck finding your friend." She bade.

The tennis prodigy had long gone before something suddenly occurred to the receptionist. "Wait a minute!" She exclaimed. "Did he say 'she'?"

--

The sapphire-eyed boy was in deep thought as he walked down the corridor. He owed her quite an explanation and an even bigger apology, and he wondered where he should begin. He decided to shrug his thoughts away, realizing that stressing on it too much wouldn't help in any way. He would tell her the truth and leave nothing a secret.

When finally he reached the end of the corridor, he was a little surprised to find that the door had been left slightly open. He heard voices speaking from inside, and easily he identified them. What he saw immediately put the strain back on his heart, the pain more excruciating for this time he was unprepared.

**--**

Reiko's amber eyes snapped wide open in surprise as she found herself locked in the ice prince's tight embrace.

**--**

The life in his eyes gone, his heart torn into shreds, there was nothing left save for the numbing sensation.

"So this is failure."

**--**

* * *

XXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hi guys!

I just wanna apologise to all the people who follow (or used to) this fic! I'm sorry for taking aaaages to update! I've been very busy with a lot of stuff and am sad to say that my schedule isn't any better now, so please do not expect regular updates!

I just really had the urge to post Chapter 25 and if I haven't been sick, I might have not been able to post it!

To all those who are still following this, and especially to my reviewers, I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You're overwhelming feedback was my motivation to write again. That said, I would also like to apologise if you think the chapter got sloppy in the middle. I know I promised a chapter worth the wait, and I apologise now if this did not live up to your expectations.

Anyway, I hope everything made sense. Hope you all review because they really do inspire me to write better!

Just some of 'footnotes':

1. _Scary _is _kowai _in Japanese, which could be misheard (although I think I'm the only idiot to do this) as

2. _Cute_, which is _Kawaii_ in Japanese.

3. I forgot to note this, but for those wondering, the suffix _'-chin'_ is a mispronounced variation of _'-chan'_ sterotypically attributed to children (Thanks for the definition Wikipedia!)

So I said earlier I'll get back to the shout-outs. I had a bit of time so I decided to do em now!

**BloodNinja555-** Well I'm glad you enjoyed this one! I'll try my best to update quickly!

**ErzaScarlet14-** thank you! hope you're still reading even though I've taken so long to post this chapter!

**bookworm182- **no guarantees but i hope my ending will leave you satisfied.

**Kiri-123-** lol! I'm sorry, that was mean. Well I updated, and I hope you enjoyed it. Don't worry, I take flames pretty well, so even if you were (i know you weren't) i'd still take it nicely.

**zeratheliger- **wow, i'm reaaaally really flattered that you found a renewed interest in this story. I know when I lose interest I hardly ever go back. So i really appreciate it!

**Crookshank-** thanks for the support!

**arirido** - LOL! hope you liked this chapter, despite it still being pretty depressing... I didn't intend for it to be a cliffie this time, but somehow people think it is? guess everyone wants to know what happens next? including me, coz I haven't written the next chapter yet!

**animeninja13-** i know! LOL! surprisingly it didn't take long for me to decide on a song to make him sing! hope you liked this one although it doesn't have as many laughs.

**Rin-chii- **If you're still reading (I hope). Thank you very much for that review. Had a blast reading it! Well, the running in circles is about to end. i think. i hope. I really pray i don't come up with another plot twister.. or i'll never be able to finish this story!

**fujilovesme-** thank you! well, I guess you know now. Hope you haven't pummeled his face yet. too pretty! kidding! xzlioness- i'm glad u enjoyed it since I had a ball writing it.

**Riku-** thanks for ur support!

**ani-sand- **i'm glad u found it hilarious, I'll try to update as quickly as i can! thanks!

**Otakugal- **yes, apparently *Reiko remembered... but Fuji's being fickle, not wanting to be friends, and then getting a reality check and then suddenly running back... geniuses are confusing...

**I-Eat-My-Vegetables- **oh no! i hope i didn't make u cry in this one since he's still sad here! but crying would mean i did a good job. so i don't really know what to hope for.. I'm still loving the user name by the way!

**Hikaru-Star-** yes she did, but there's a twist... pam pam paaaaaaaam....

**unknown player-** forehead! LOLZ! i updated! and i'm glad u loved it! I'm also REAAAALLY REALLLY flattered after having read ur review for this chapter. I suddenly felt motivated about physics! ahahaha! weird.

**mitchy-** that's funny coz i could hear it in my head too! i hope ur still reading this after the uber long update time!

**demonsadist- **wow! thank you! my ears (figuratively speaking) are really big right now, reading ur reviews. I'm really glad u guys are enjoying the work I make. and I really hope u haven't given up on this story!

**xANIMExObsessedx-** well according to Yuta... really dumb! ahaha! 'crack his caveman image' ROFLs! LOL!

**purplestylus-** oh wow! ur probably about the only person who hasn't shipped FujiRei... But who knows, even I don't! Charmane- lolz! Reiko does... Just that she forgot her childhood friend's name... i'm still thinking if i should further explain the whole childhood friend/acquaintance thing because I feel like I haven't made it clear enough.

**Lia-** thank you, thank you and thank you! Yes! i do remember you, you reviewed before with this name and reviewed my other story as well! see, I remember everyone who reviews coz I thank em personally. I like to spread the love... lolz! anyways! i'm glad u enjoyed it.. and although i've been saying this a lot, i should probably be as thin as paper by now, but I really am flattered that you like this fic so much! thank you for the support!


	26. The Hundred Eighty Degree Turn

**Author's Note:**

Hi guys!

Really Sorry for the long wait! I really hope you like this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 26**

The Hundred Eighty Degree Turn

* * *

All she could do was stare blankly at the pale white wall, far too shocked from the sudden turn of events. The truth couldn't possibly get any clearer: the impossible had just taken a hundred and eighty degree turn. The almost-worshipful affection, the adoration she held, feelings that for a long time she thought were one-sided, actually reciprocated. Around her were the arms of the one she'd admired since day one, and yet there was an unexplainable emptiness.

Had she turned deaf? Where was the deafening beating of her heart? Had she turned numb? Why wasn't her stomach twisting in knots like it did whenever he was within a meter's proximity? She never expected anything, and now that she's been rewarded unexpectedly, shouldn't she be happy? Why was there no joy, not even relief? Why was there nothing?

Finally the much needed intervention manifested when Reiko's phone started ringing and vibrating in her pocket. Awkwardly, the two broke the physical contact and stared oddly at each other before the raven answered the incoming call.

"Hello? Ayumi?" She answered. "Hai. I've already gone to the doctor."

Reiko could no longer withstand the weight of the bespectacled boy's stare and so shifted her gaze to the wall once more.

"Just from the heat apparently. He told me to drink lots of fluids and that was it... Oh, don't worry about coming up. I'll meet you guys at the lobby."

There was another pause and Tezuka's brows almost knitted together when he saw a faint blush appear on her pale white cheeks.

"Yeah. I'm with him right now, actually." She said, thanking God that she didn't stutter. Her face slightly brightened after listening to her friend some more.

"Alright. Well I'll come down right now. See you in a bit."

She slid her phone shut and put it back inside her pocket before facing the boy beside her, the stubborn pink refusing to fade from her porcelain cheeks. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before putting on a smile.

"Congratulations Tezuka-san. It seems the Regulars are through to the next round." She commended, extending her right hand.

// A hand shake? // Tezuka thought. He took her outstretched hand and shook it firmly despite seeming unsatisfied. Reiko hopped off the bed and straightened her shirt before turning to her companion to bid him goodbye.

"I have to go and meet up with the others now. Do you think you'll be fine waiting for the doctor yourself Tezuka-san?" She asked.

Never confused, Tezuka Kunimitsu found himself confounded by the raven-haired girl's actions. Had he not just confessed to her? Or was his confession not clear enough? Being the guy that he was, he was certain his message was delivered with crystal clarity. Then why was she acting like nothing happened?

It took him a moment to respond. Since he'd let the truth come out, then there was no point in hiding, no point in holding back. Whatever her response is, he'll have to face it head on.

"I would prefer you stayed with me, but seeing your friends are waiting, I won't hold you back." He said, perfectly monotonous as always.

From rosy pink, the stain on her cheeks turned scarlet red. Stiffly, Reiko nodded and bowed before heading for the slightly open door. She lingered under the door frame for a while as she tried to straighten her thoughts.

"Please don't think I'm running away." She began, not brave enough to look him in the eye. "Everything just happened too quickly. I need a bit of time to absorb and think things through."

"Aa. You don't have to ask me for time, yours is not mine to grant."

Reiko somehow felt relieved at that and with half a smile left to meet her friends.

**--**

Finding her friends in the hospital lobby wasn't a difficult task. All she had to do was spot the large group of teenagers running amok. She put on a practiced smile and was instantly reminded of a certain blue-eyed boy. Yes, bluffing was his forte. Just the thought of him and their strained relationship clawed on a raw wound in her heart. She eyed her friends from afar; Ayumi busy lecturing Kikumaru about being too loud and disrupting the peace in the hospital while the cocky Echizen pitched in by giving his trademarked 'mada mada dane' to the now protesting redhead. Oishi had his hands full trying to put out another Kaidoh-Momo brawl, while Chiharu stayed by her boyfriend's side to assist despite its futility. The only ones that remained civil were Kaita, Taka and Inui, all seated and waiting silently for her arrival.

They were all her friends too, and she would feel very depressed if she lost any one of them. Yet somehow it felt like that depression would never amount to the pain she felt now, the pain she felt after she lost him.

She chided herself mentally, disappointed in herself for even thinking the previous thought. They were all her friends too, what makes him any different? She felt ashamed knowing she'd been unfair, and was slightly relieved that no one else knew what went on in her head.

Again she put a smile on her face, viewing her reflection on the elevator's reflective doors to make sure it appeared natural. Satisfied, she made her way to her waiting friends, before they were kicked out of the hospital for obstructing peace.

"Hey guys." She greeted as casually as she could.

Immediately the petty bickering stopped as all ten heads turned to the direction of the voice.

"I'm surprised you haven't been kicked out the moment you set foot inside the hospital." Reiko teased.

Kikumaru's face had a look that was akin to bursting. "Nya! Rei-chan that was mean! Here we are, concerned about your health, and this is the way you greet us! Sometimes I think you don't appreciate our company." He whined.

The redhead's words hit the bull's eye. Reiko was speechless as she was reminded of her thoughts from a few moments ago. Immediately the weight of her guilt put a staggering strain on her heart.

"G-gomen. I didn't mean to make you feel that way." She stammered.

Everyone eyed the usually carefree girl peculiarly. "Get over it, you sap!" would've been more Reiko-like, instead they got a reply that was totally uncharacteristic of her. She'd been like that since this morning, and everyone was starting to worry.

"I was only joking, Reiko. Cheer up." Kikumaru said, his face worry-stricken.

"But what you said was true though. I haven't been treating you guys the way I should be. I'm sorry." The raven apologized again, keeping her head low in shame.

"AHHH! Who are you and what have you done to our Reiko?!" Chiharu screamed.

"I think she's suffering from identity crisis." Echizen mumbled.

"The probability of Hasegawa-san being abducted by aliens and replaced by a doppelganger is 0.02%. Having an identity crisis is 0.2%. There is a 10% chance her current state from the effects of a heat stroke." Inui added, pushing his glasses up as he read through his notes.

"Sou sou! That's probably it! She's probably still suffering from a heat stroke!" Momoshiro furthered.

Dumbfounded, Reiko finally looked up to meet her friends' amused and smiling faces.

"I'm not—" Ayumi cut the raven off before she could say anything out of character once again.

"Look Rei. Do we really look like we're the type of people who wants to hear anything mushy?" She began. "We're your friends, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we all know you very well. And we know, despite your roguish nature, that even though you don't say it, you do appreciate having all of us as friends, even if most of the time we come as a pain in the butt." She paused and looked around to find everyone nodding, agreeing.

"So if you would please stop acting out of it, you're starting to freak everyone out." She finished, grinning smugly at the raven-haired girl.

Reiko remained speechless for a moment, unknown to her that the put-out flame in her once bright amber eyes had just been rekindled. She felt herself smile, genuinely this time, and she launched herself forward to give everyone a hug. Though the pain hadn't completely subsided, the raven felt relieved and honored to be in the company of extraordinary people.

Echizen Ryoma would rather die than be caught in his senpais' public display of affection. So, with his lightning quick reflexes, the freshman tennis ace sidestepped, successfully evading his raven-haired senpai's embrace. He watched, almost sickened, as his upperclassmen all circled together in a group hug.

"Oh yeah!" Chiharu exclaimed, suddenly recalling something. "Where's Fuji?" She asked, her question pointed at the raven-haired girl.

It took Reiko a lot to not let her smile falter. "Um… I have no idea. Wasn't he with you guys?"

"Really? We told him you were in the hospital and the guy took off like a bat out of hell." The hazel-eyed girl continued. "I thought he was headed straight here." She mumbled.

Reiko felt perturbed by the new information but soon decided not to read too much into it. "Well I haven't seen him so he must've gone somewhere else."

**--**

Angry and some concerned by-standers watched the honey haired boy almost run into all the things on the sidewalk. Judging from his far-away gaze, it was obvious to anyone that the boy's mind was focused somewhere else, and so the wise onlookers gathered that it was for their own safety that they do all the avoiding. With the uncharacteristic behavior he was displaying—had there been people he'd known—Fuji Syuusuke would've been the butt of the jokes for weeks. Fortunately there was no one near the area, who'd have the slightest idea of his identity, thus saving his face.

The aimless wandering finally came to an end when the object in motion finally collided with an opposite force. Feeling something nudge his leg, Fuji looked down only to find a potted plant standing in his way. Realizing he'd been walking around blindly, he looked to his right and learned he was standing right outside the plant nursery where he usually buys all his cacti. He bent down and lifted the pot to put it back where it was before he so carelessly moved it. It was only then that he noticed the yellow globes dangling on the branches of the seedling. It was a young lemon tree.

Without realizing, he felt a smile appear on his lips. Instead of replacing the pot, he carried it inside the store and took it to the counter. The store owner recognized him instantly and gave him a bright smile.

"Ah Fuji-kun, I haven't seen you in a while? Buying more cacti for your collection?" The owner asked, surprised to find a lemon plant on the counter instead.

"No, not this time." The tennis prodigy answered, plastering a bright smile on his face.

The shop owner merely nodded his head before proceeding with the transaction. "Would you like to buy this booklet which tells you how to take care of your plant too?" he asked.

"Sure. Why not?" said the tensai. Once everything was rung up on the register, the fair-haired boy took out his wallet and fished out a hefty amount of cash, then telling the shop owner to keep the change. The older man could only scratch his head and bow in gratitude.

Once outside, the tennis prodigy eyed the pot in his hand before scratching the back of his head.

"That was rather impulsive of me." He murmured to himself, amused. Inside, it felt as though the simple object had somehow eased the weight on his heart, even if only for a little bit. // At this rate, I might end up being broke. // He thought, amused. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to finally head home, this time being aware of his surroundings.

**--**

"Tadaima!" Reiko called out as she entered the front door.

Krypto charged towards the direction of the voice and gave an excited bark. The huge dog stood on its hind legs as he jumped his owner, almost knocking her down on the ground.

Reiko patted her dog's head lovingly. "Hi boy. Have you been up to much today?" She asked. The dog finally got off her to allow her to remove her shoes and put her bag down. The raven proceeded to the kitchen to find her parents having dinner.

"How'd it go today?" Mr. Hasegawa asked as his daughter pulled a chair and sat down.

"We won. We're through to the next round." She told them. She whisked her head to decline when her mother offered her the bowl of rice. "No thanks. We had sushi at Taka-san's after the game."

Mrs. Hasegawa merely nodded her head, the look of worry evident on her usually serene face. Reiko shifted her gaze to her father and found the noticeable creases on his forehead. The atmosphere became heavy as the Hasegawa family lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Reiko's gaze fell on the placemat as her hands traced the patterned lines on it.

"So, you went to see Okita-sensei today…" Mr. Hasegawa began.

Reiko nodded and finally let out a sigh. "Yeah. He's set an appointment for tomorrow. I think he wants to go over today's test results and run a few more tomorrow. He wants us to come at 9 am." She told them.

Her parents both nodded in comprehension.

"How are you feeling now? Do you still have a headache?" Mrs. Hasegawa inquired as she took her plate and ran water through it before placing it inside the dishwasher.

"I'm okay. I think it's just the contacts aren't as effective as my glasses. Or maybe my vision has gotten worse and I need new ones." She told them. Again, both her parents nodded.

The three fell silent once again before Reiko finally excused herself to go to her room. "Well, I think I'm gonna go shower now. I'm a bit tired from the match so I think I'll go to bed right after."

Once the raven-haired teen was upstairs, both husband and wife stopped what they were doing and looked at each other, the unspoken concern for their daughter etched in both their eyes.

**--Tokyo General Hospital, the next morning--**

"Ohayou, Ryu-san, Hiromi-san, Reiko-chan. I'm glad you could make it in today." Okita-sensei smiled as he greeted the waiting family outside his office.

The three bowed down and uttered their morning greetings before the ophthalmologist ushered them inside his office.

"Alright. Today I'd like Reiko to do a few more tests, but for now I will be discussing with you the results from yesterday."

Mrs. Hasegawa took her husband's hand as soon as they saw the doctor's bright smile vaporize.

**--**

"Well, I was right. My eyesight did get worse." Reiko said, attempting to clear the heavy atmosphere inside the silent car. To her dismay, her parents found nothing humorous in her statement and so remained quiet.

"Tough crowd." She muttered to herself. Crossing her arms, she let out a heavy sigh before speaking up again, all traces of humor gone.

"It's not like we didn't expect this. That's why we've been doing all those preparations. And it's good we did." She told them again. Still she got no response.

Reiko couldn't be happier when her father finally parked their car inside the garage. To her, it seemed like an eternity had passed before they could arrive at their residence.

"Rei—"

"I think I'm gonna start on my assignments now. I have heaps." The raven-haired teen interrupted.

The two adults could only stare at their daughter as she dashed straight into their house.

**--**

Although she told her parents she was going to study, Reiko instead collapsed onto her bed. She put her arms behind her head while her stare looked as though it went through the ceiling. Soon her breathing became uneven. No, the burden was not getting any lighter. She was tired, more than just physically worn out.

She decided to get some fresh air and with a heavy head, she managed to prop herself up. Soon she felt like collapsing once again, not expecting to see him at all. The two teens shifted their gazes elsewhere when their eyes met accidentally. Suddenly the atmosphere turned dense. So much for fresh air.

Both were replaying the previous events in their heads, Reiko with that of the other night while Fuji of yesterday.

"Fuji." Reiko started.

"Hasega—"

"Please don't brush me off. Please. I just—I really need to vent." She pleaded.

The brown-haired boy folded his arms across his chest, trying hard to appear unconcerned. "Can't you discuss it with Ayumi or Chiharu or your other friends? Tezuka?" He suggested coldly.

Her eyes widened upon hearing the last name he'd mentioned. Why was the pain a thousand times greater when it came from him? "H-How did you—" She stammered.

He leaned on the glass door casually, his arms remaining crossed as he smirked smugly. "I was at the hospital yesterday. I saw everything." He declared. "Congratulations by the way."

She couldn't read through his words. At that moment, his face was so expressionless that he could've given Tezuka a run for his money. He was neither criticizing nor provoking her, yet it felt like he'd just ripped her heart into shreds with those simple words. He turned to take his leave but was stopped when she called his name again.

Cerulean eyes were suddenly with alarm upon seeing the raven-haired girl step unto her balcony's ledge.

"What are you doing?!"

"Well, I'm running out of options. I want to talk to you but you won't listen. So I guess I'll have to make you."

Before he could say anything further, the raven-haired girl leaped off her ledge. His heart briefly stopped and instinctively he stretched out his arms, waiting for her to fall into his arms.

They fell onto the floor of Fuij's balcony, Reiko on top of him.

"Have you lost your mind?!" He seethed, sitting himself up and pulling away from her.

The words didn't register in her head as she was too overwhelmed by happiness. "You… caught me?"

"Yes, I caught you. But what if you slipped? Do you honestly want your fall to be on my conscience?" He shook her shoulders violently, visibly incensed.

Finally his anger was starting to sink into her. She looked down on the ground, suddenly embarrassed by her actions, her stupidity. "The hedge would've broken my fall. That's what you said."

"So you don't die, but you break a couple of bones instead. Is it really okay to risk injuring yourself, knowing you won't be able to play the sport you love anymore?" He asked. This time, there was something different in the tone of his voice. It was much gentler, concerned.

"I… I just wanted… I just wanted to get a chance to talk." She stammered, her voice breaking in between hysterics.

Seeing her like that, the tennis prodigy was suddenly overcome by guilt. This was why he wanted to pull away. If their friendship had continued, he would eventually, inevitably, hurt her. Frustrated, he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh.

"Calm down." He told her soothingly. "So now you got me. What's so important you'd even resort to recklessness just to tell me?" He asked. They were sitting facing each other now, although her stubborn eyes remained focused on the ground.

"Nothing." She said quietly.

He angled his head to the side, his brows knitted together in confusion.

Unexpectedly Reiko leaned forward, resting her head on the tennis prodigy's shoulder. Unknowingly she sent his heart racing.

"I'm just…" Her breathing was starting to turn rough again. "…Really tired." The raven continued softly.

"I'm afraid I'm not following." The tennis prodigy managed to say coherently. His shoulder soon felt warm and wet. She was already sobbing frantically when he realized she was crying.

Without seeking his mind for permission, his arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her. He'd always wanted to do this, but not in this situation. Not finding the strength to let go, he kept hold of her. Only for today, he would be selfish.

"What's wrong?" He asked, this time genuinely concerned.

She didn't respond and continued to cry on his shoulder, holding onto him tighter.

He rubbed her back gently, hoping it would calm the raven. His tactic seemed to work as he felt her loosen her grip on his shirt. He could no longer hear her hysterical weeping, and soon her crying was reduced to sniffing.

She lifted her head briefly before whispering to his ear.

"I just wanted to feel safe."

Fuji Syuusuke's brilliant sapphire eyes were wide in surprise. Those were her final words before she drifted into oblivion, and the tennis prodigy repeated them over and over in his mind.

**--**

The wind's gentle chill stroked the back of his neck and finally Fuji stirred awake. Noticing his surroundings, he wondered what he was doing outside his room and looked down to find a mop of black hair resting on his shoulder. "How long had they been like that?" he asked himself, and only when he checked his watch for the time did he notice that his arms have gone numb. And even though he's lost feeling in his extremities, he was surprisingly amused to find them still wrapped around her.

It was already quarter to six in the evening, they've been outside for almost two hours. The sky was already of a purplish and pink hue and the temperature had already dropped a few degrees. He thought they should head inside soon, otherwise they would catch a cold. He decided he would carry her inside, but when he tried to stand he discovered Reiko was still clutching his shirt.

// Maybe I better do it when I regain feeling in my arms. // He thought.

He waited for a few more minutes, just until the blood circulation in his arms were back to normal, before he got on his feet slowly. He didn't fully stand up, for she was still holding on to him. His knees were fully bent and he took tiny steps so that he could go around on her side.

It was a feat that only one with superb balance, strength and subtlety could execute. He slipped one arm under the back of her knees while his other kept her back from falling. Carefully, whilst still in an extreme squatting position, he scooped her up. When she was already lying in his arms safely, he finally straightened his legs and stood up. All this he did while she unconsciously kept hold of his shirt. The tennis prodigy became much more appreciative of the physical training he'd been enduring.

He slid the glass door open with his foot and slowly made his way inside his bedroom. He was walking towards his bed and suddenly stopped when the raven started to move in his arms.

"Syuusuke." She whispered. Suddenly he felt warmer. He felt various sensations sweep his entire body and although it felt weird and new to him, he welcomed the surprise.

He couldn't resist a smile. It felt like it had been a while since he'd done that. He checked the figure in his arms again and when he found she was still in deep slumber, he proceeded to lay her in his bed. He almost let out a chuckle when he tried to pry her hand off his shirt, not surprised that she'd be stubborn even in her sleep. He let out an amused sigh before getting on the bed himself, it was then that she finally let go.

Fuji got on his side and rested his head on his arm, all the while observing her serene face. She was smiling as she slept, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was dreaming about. He tucked away the stray strands of hair that fell on her face when suddenly she spoke again.

"Syuusuke." She called again.

So she was dreaming of him, perhaps of the brief moments they spent together as children, as friends. The same sensations echoed inside his body. It was like someone had given him a shot of adrenalin. His heart beat so fast it felt like it was going to leap out of his chest. Again, he was pleasantly surprised. She rolled onto her side so that she was now facing him. Unconsciously she put her arm over him, holding him captive once again. At that moment, Fuji Syuusuke was the happiest he'd ever been.

**--**

Slowly, Reiko started to stir. It was the most peaceful sleep she'd had for as long as she could remember. She inhaled deeply, then suddenly noticed a pleasant and strangely familiar scent enter her nostrils. She quickly opened her eyes and noticed someone lying next to her. She looked up to investigate who the stranger was and almost jumped off the bed when realization struck her.

"Fuji?!" She exclaimed, her face turning a bright shade of red.

"Good evening Hasegawa-san. Or should I call you 'Reiko since' you were referring to me so casually before." He greeted playfully, surprising her with his upturned eyes and sadistic smile.

Yes, Fuji Syuusuke had succumbed to his selfishness. It was a decision he resolved to as he watched her sleep beside him. The temptation was too hard to resist, and he swore he would do anything to protect his happiness.

She was blushing furiously now. She looked around her and took in the unfamiliar furnishings. Three walls were painted white while one accent wall was painted navy blue. The dark gray carpet and the long white desk were both spotless, save for the big white monitor stationed on one end of the desk, the silver laptop next to it, and the black sewing machine on the other end of the desk. The beddings matched the wall; the sheets the same shade of navy, silver stitches laced an abstract pattern around it. On the side table were two potted cacti with weirdly matching outfits (refer to chapter 7). The room fit its owner's personality well.

Wait—the owner! What was she doing in _his_ room?!

"W-Why am I here?!" She asked nervously, the red hue on her cheeks refusing to fade.

"You were the one who wouldn't let go." The tennis prodigy casually said, not bothering to tear his eyes from his DS. His finger pointed to the evidence. Reiko's jaw almost dismounted from her face when she saw her hand clutching his shirt. Immediately she let go, her face growing feverishly warm.

"W-what did you mean when you said I was 'referring to you so casually'?" She stammered, her gaze falling on the bed, her fingers fiddling with the silver stitches.

"Exactly what it's supposed to mean. You were calling me by my first name." He told her plainly, still not looking up from his console. "Quite a few times actually." He added.

She guessed her face must probably be glowing red by now. "S-S-Sorry. Not just for that but for earlier as well." She stuttered.

He'd always despised his given name. Among his siblings, his was the only different one. He hated how his father would make it seem like it was a privilege to be the bearer of that name, how he would use its meaning against him, how he would constantly remind him why he was given that name. Yet just hearing it once from her turned it into something endearing, as though she'd given it a whole new meaning. He slightly felt offended when she apologized for having called him by his name.

He folded the game console shut and placed it down on the side table. Reiko felt a chill when his eerie smile stretched wider.

"I really don't mind. But it's only just that I be allowed to call you by your first name as well, right?"

To quote the movie Twilight, "his sudden mood swings were giving her a whiplash". Wasn't it just earlier that he was pushing her away? Wasn't it just the other night that he told her he no longer wanted to be friends? What was with the offhanded attitude?

"What-what does this all mean? I thought you hated me?" She finally asked, no longer being able to keep the questions to herself.

The tennis prodigy crossed his arms and raised his brows in surprise. "When did I ever say I hate you?" He asked with all innocence.

"B-but you said you didn't want to be friends?" She mumbled; all the more confused. "W-was that a lie?" Finding a small ray of hope, she finally looked up from the dark sheets, only to have her heart start racing when her eyes met brilliant sapphire ones.

He was staring intently at her now, the sadistic smile no longer on his face. "I didn't lie." He told her bluntly.

She lowered her head and her face turned downcast when her slightest bit of hope was thwarted yet again. She should've never expected anything. Now the pain intensified.

Seeing the forlorn expression on her face, Fuji Syuusuke cracked half a smile. He couldn't deny the joy he felt upon seeing her disappointment when he told her he didn't want to be friends. Inwardly he wondered if he really was sadistic. He put his hand under his chin and lifted her head so that she could meet his gaze.

"But I didn't completely tell you the truth either." His gaze was suddenly intense, mesmerizing. However hard she tried, she couldn't pull her eyes away from his.

Fuji Syuusuke let out a heavy sigh. For once, he was going to take a risk. He wasn't going to let this one go without a fight. Where the selfishness starts, the cowardice ends.

"When I told you I didn't want to be friends. What I truly meant was…" He paused, letting out another sigh. He was going to be completely honest this time.

"I don't want to be _just_ friends."

She felt herself freeze upon hearing him speak the truth. She was, in one word, stunned. She looked at him like he was the most peculiar thing in the world, shook her head to somehow straighten out her thoughts before stuttering.

"W-what?"

Indeed she expected a confession, but not of the kind he'd just given her. She also wasn't prepared for what he did next. Before Reiko could regain composure, the tennis prodigy leaned forward, pulling her chin gently until he captured her lips with his.

**--**

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**Author's RANTS**

Bleh! I really think I could've been more articulate with this chapter, I just couldn't find the right words! Anyway... So I wrote this chapter to finally get rid of Fuji's being out of character. He's been in a slump for a while and I was missing the sadistic tensai we all know and love! This chapter was completely out of the playbook too! I already planned out how I was going to write this chapter, but then things took an unexpected turn towards the end. LOL. I hope you all enjoyed!

Also, I'm not being sadistic or anything so please don't hate me, but I will not be updating for a while! Uni just started again, and I didn't do anything during the holidays so I think I'm going to be pretty busy these following **months**! Sorry! (...ANZAC day--to all those who know what that is--is coming up though so maybe I can get a start then!)

A late Happy Easter to all you guys as well!

This'll be the last time I'm posting shout outs at the end of chapters! I just discovered the review reply button! YAY! except if ur a non-registered user, then you'll find a special mention at the end! LOL!

**animeninja13-** yeah! Hopefully I got rid of him being a jerk at the conclusion of this chapter! He's back to normal! I think?

**Kikumaru Ai**- Thanks! I'm glad you liked that one! And I'm really happy to see readers empathizing with the characters! It means I'm doing my job properly!

**demonsadist**- LOL! Thank you for your enthusiasm with this story! I'm deeply touched! I hope your keyboard is still working..!

**geetac**- Thanks a lot! LOL! :)

**fujilovesme**- I hope you like this update! there might not be one for a while!

**XAyakaX**- Wow, I'm really flattered. Especially since I know what you mean about reading a story over and over again. I have a favourite fanfic that I finished reading about two years ago. I still find myself reading it every now and then! I'm a bit extreme though! Thanks heaps! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**arirido**- LOL! It's for real, I did update. I should try making a false alarm next time, so when you check your e-mail's it'll be like: "GOTCHA!" LOL! :)

**ASUKA**- Well... He told her! Using more than just words actually!

**I-Eat-My-Vegetables**- Yep I know what you mean. My game has been in a slump recently as well! TT__TT Too much homework messing with my head! I hope you like this update! Good luck with the tennis!

**Lia**- Yeah, it's like Tezuka and Fuji swapped personalities. LOL! This is somewhat like another cliff hanger! Please don't kill me!

**bleedingcrimson**- Thank you. I think I have too many ideas for this story that I just keep on coming up with more and more twists. Hopefully I'll be able to tie all the loose ends at the end!

**ani-sand**- well, not really because he "didn't want to be friends". It was just friendship isn't enough for our dear Fuji-kun.

**angelazabini**- it's all good! I hope this chapter will make you daydream again! LOL!

**kur-chan**- Thanks heaps! glad you liked the last chapter! hope you like this one too!

**Love in Snow**- thanks! hope you liked it! :)

**unknown playe****r**- Oh wow, thanks! Though I'd think there are much much much better writers out there. I hope you like this update!

**Charmane**- Yup. Fuji did. Thankfully that boy isn't going down without a fight!

**BloodNinja555**- Well here it is! I think it's kinda cruel leaving you with this as well! Sorry! :(

**XXRenjiXX**- And another cliff hanger! Sorry! It just happens! I'm really flattered you like my fic! I only hope I live up to your expectations in the not so distant future!

**Otakugal-** Okay! I'll try! LOL!!!

**Aurorahime**- OMG! I actually just watched this Korean thriller-ish/murder/drama movie entitled Princess Aurora right around the time you reviewed this fic! Freaky! LOL! Thanks so much for reviewing!

_Also if it's not too much to ask, if you guys could give my other story a read would be the most awesome thing ever!_

**Please don't forget to review! Reviews equal Joy equals Inspiration equals Possibly writing faster! :)  
**


	27. Decisions

Hi all,

So I was able to finish a chapter in between spare times. I hope you all like it, next chapter will be out by July (whole month holiday!!!).

Also a little note; a flame is hottest when it's blue... but I bet you all knew that. :)

Enjoy,

~Snow

P.S.

If anyone who speaks fluent Italian is reading this, can you tell me if the phrases at the later part of this chapter is correct? LOL! I'm sorry if I murdered the language! *cringe*

* * *

**Chapter 27**

Decisions

* * *

She put her hands against his chest, intending to push him away. Yet it felt like energy was being drained from her, sucked out of every cell that she could no longer find the strength or the sense to resist. Even her eyes failed to keep open. She was suddenly warm all over, and her head felt strangely light. She asked herself if she was really that tired, fatigued to the point of feeling helpless.

Finally he withdrew. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, and she could feel his warmth even in the breaths he took through his mouth. Although he pulled away, his hand remained on her face. Gently he tucked the stray raven locks behind her ear, his hand lingering on her face, descending until it rested on her chin.

He was smiling, all the while baring his blue eyes. He stroked her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb, and she saw a foreign expression within the depths of his eyes. Though it seemed different, it felt like she'd seen the look somewhere else before. She remained staring into his eyes, trying to comprehend what it was exactly, but she found the longer she kept his gaze, the more intimidated she felt. His gaze was intense, like a flame at its hottest, yet she did not feel insignificant. It was actually the contrary. Touched by the blue flame but not burned. It was like, she was the only thing—everything his eyes could see.

Well, everything until—

"Aniki? Can I borrow—" A thirteen year old boy with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead nearly died of a heart-attack from what he saw.

No, he wasn't innocently browsing the internet when a pop-up from some random porno shock-site appeared. Fuji Yuta was home that weekend, contently running the batteries of his PSP low until finally it was drained. Boredom—the number one enemy of all teenagers around his age—decided to kick in. Dropping the console like it was some sweaty old gym sock; he decided to go to his brother's room with the simple goal of borrowing a few DVDs that would help him pass the time.

Several times he'd been told to knock, but Fuji Yuta was his own boss and therefore refused to yield to anyone. Frankly speaking, he brought the shock upon himself. It wasn't like he caught his brother doing something indecent, but he certainly did not expect to find his brother, alone with a girl—this girl was on his bed, mind you. He didn't even see her come in from the front door. Seeing where his brother's hand was lingering, Yuta didn't dare venture to picture the numerous events, the 'what may have's', that unfolded before his 'timely' arrival.

Although disinclined, Syuusuke withdrew his hand from Reiko's face. He crossed his arms and his azure eyes were again concealed by closed, upturned lids. He wore a foreboding smile that sent shivers down his brother's spine. Raw fear robbed the younger Fuji of the will to run. The two older teens stared at the paralyzed Yuta as he stood rigidly under the door-frame.

"Ah Yuta. I'd like you to meet Hasegawa Reiko. Reiko, this is my younger brother, Yuta. He has a habit of barging in other people's rooms without knocking. I hope you can pardon him for that." The tennis prodigy stated, still wearing the eerie, literally 'killer' smile of his.

The younger boy bowed down stiffly, his head almost touching the ground. In a speed that made him sound like he was speaking fluent Cantonese, he muttered "PleasedtomeetyouHasegawasan. ANIKI, PLEASE DON'T HARM ME!" And with that, Fuji Yuta abruptly straightened himself, grabbed the doorknob and slammed his brother's bedroom door shut. In a split second, he was back inside his room, packing his items; intent on getting back to the safe confines of his dorm room at St. Rudolph's that night.

Fuji took in the shell-shocked expression on her face. Reiko looked like she was having a mental lapse. Her amber eyes were alive; wide and bright as they stared blankly at the door, her mind evidently still trying to cope with how quickly things were happening. The tennis prodigy let out a soft chuckle, calling the raven's attention.

"I guess you've met my brother."

Reiko could only stare blankly at the boy before her while her mind quickly ran through everything that had just happened; her discovering Fuji had a younger brother, that look in his eyes that she couldn't pin down, the gentleness of his touch, the comfort she found in his warmth, and lastly, the tenderness of his kiss. Then finally it occurred to her.

"Y-You… You kissed me…" She stuttered, still looking dazed.

The tensai smirked, amused. "Yes. That I did."

Her amber eyes were burning with anger now. "But Tezuka! You knew and yet—"

There was something that changed in the way he smiled. He looked at her with the same incomprehensible expression he had earlier.

"If I have to," he began, his eyes holding hers captive. "I'll steal you. Be it from Tezuka or from any other guy in this planet."

His brows furrowed for a moment when her tears started to well, extinguishing the wildfire in the her amber eyes. "Why? Why would you do something that would only make me want to run away from you?" Her voice shook from the frustration

Fuji crossed his arms, the smirk returning to his lips. "Because Reiko, I know you wouldn't."

The tears instantly stopped flowing from her eyes. As he brushed the tears that formed tracks on her face, he caught a glimpse of the stubbornness in her eyes.

"And what makes you so sure?" She questioned. He could hear the irritation he knew so well. He almost laughed; slowly she was starting to revert to her usual self.

The tennis prodigy let out a heavy sigh, the haughty grin never faltering. "Because even if you refuse to admit it, even if you lie to yourself about it, I know you feel exactly the same way I do."

"Oi, oi…" She said in a low tone, pausing to let out a few sniffles. The tennis prodigy always found it adorable when she tried to be stubborn and tough despite being vulnerable at the same time. "Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself? I never—"

He cut her off. "When you were sleeping, why did you call my name?"

Her mouth opened to protest but he put his index finger over her mouth before she could utter anything.

"When you needed someone to talk to, when you wanted to feel safe, why did you come to me?"

"When I kissed you…" He removed his index finger and stroked her lip softly with his thumb once again. "When I touch you like this… Why don't you resist?"

She was speechless. Just a few moments ago, she was asking herself the exact same questions. She'd considered all the possibilities in her head, all but one. Surely it wasn't like what he was implying. She shook her head, refusing to believe the evidence.

"Enough! Please stop trying to make me believe that. I can't—"

Again, he withdrew his touch. He crossed his arms and the poker face was back. "I'm afraid I'm not that easy to deter." He started. "One way or another, I'll make you realize it. I'll make you admit it."

She sought to determine what he was planning, but could not get past his mask, his barrier.

"But here's a fair proposal. If you can give me a valid reason to make me quit, then I will." His smile was smug and he almost broke into laughter upon seeing the irked expression on her face again.

"But that's not fair! 'Reasonable' is subjective to a person. You may as well just keep saying my reasons aren't good enough every time." She complained.

He raised his index finger, telling her to let him finish. "I said it would be a fair proposal. If you could say you don't love me, if you can tell me you love someone else, then I would, unwillingly, back down. If you think you've come up with an excuse you think is reasonable, then I guess we can get an outside opinion."

"What? You mean we'll have to tell other people?" She asked, incredulous.

"If you're keen on keeping it a secret, then you will have to settle on my guaranteeing to be as objective as I possibly can." He said, intent on keeping his conditions.

She took a fistful of his shirt and crumpled the fabric in her clenched her hands. "If you think I'd let myself fall victim to your games then you're wrong. I really hate…" Her shoulders trembled from bottled fury.

The tennis prodigy merely raised one brow expectantly. Seeing the unfazed expression on his face finally yanked the lid off. Reiko immediately burst into a fit.

"UGH! I hate this!" She screamed, pushing Fuji so forcefully that despite having fallen back on his bed, he could still feel the contents of his head rattle.

Standing up, she stomped all the way to the door and down the stairs. In her anger, she ignored a very stunned Fuji Yumiko, who had the decency to ask her if she wanted to stay for dinner. Slamming their front door shut, she stormed out of the Fuji household, all the way back to her room.

Hands behind his head, Fuji lay on his bed for a while before finally springing up into a sitting position. "I guess it's time to do homework."

**--**

She sucked in a huge amount of air, her cheeks puffing as she kept it in for a few moments. Finally, when her mind entered a much more stable state, she exhaled. Quietly, she entered the front door and did not expect to find all the lights turned off. The whole house was almost covered in darkness, save for the living room where a dim light flickered and faint sounds echoed. She headed to the said area, sneaking for her parents were predisposed to think she had been resting in her room all this while.

They were watching a movie, oblivious to the quiet observer that hid behind the shadows. Reiko looked on and smiled when she saw her mother lean her head on her father's shoulder. The raven haired man kissed his wife on the head. He then smiled and briefly looked at his wife before returning his gaze to the television. At that moment, Reiko's eyes were wide with realization. Finally she was able to grasp what the look in the tennis prodigy's eyes was. She'd seen it in the million times her father had gazed at her mother.

Suddenly her chest felt tight, like her heart was about to burst. She covered her agape mouth with one hand, wiped her moist eyes with the back of the other, before silently heading up to her room.

After closing the door behind her, the raven immediately sprinted to the bed and buried her face unto a pillow. She screamed into the fluffy object with all her might, causing her breathing to become labored when she turned herself over. She covered her eyes with the back of her hand, her chest heavily rising and falling. When she took her hand off, her vision was cloudy and her eyes felt hot. In the privacy of her own room, she finally let the tears gush out of her eyes.

"Fuji Syuusuke, you idiot." She cursed almost inaudibly. "Why do you always have to be right?"

**--Seigaku class 3-6--**

The following day finally came and Fuji Syuusuke sat on his desk, looking composed as per usual. Yet inside he was restless as a caffeine-induced hamster. There were five minutes left before the first bell yet the seat next to his still remained vacant. He subtly looked around but there was no sign of his raven-haired learning partner anywhere.

"Nya, what do you think happened to Reiko?" Kikumaru asked.

"She can't still be feeling sick from the games, can she?" Chiharu asked her seatmate and friend worriedly.

Ayumi merely shrugged as she glanced at the clock anxiously.

// She knows better than to run away. // Fuji told himself to remain calm.

Just as the first bell rang, the door to their classroom slid open. Four pairs of hopeful eyes were instantly disappointed upon seeing a man's figure emerge from behind the door.

"Good morning class. I hope you all had a good weekend." Kawasaki-sensei greeted. The homeroom teacher put his items down on the teacher's desk before walking in front of said desk to lean on it. He quickly scanned through the room until finally his gaze landed on the brown-haired tennis prodigy.

"Ah Fuji! Glad to see you're feeling better, although I'm afraid this time its Hasegawa's turn to be excused from school. I'm sure you'll manage the workload on your own for a week."

The homeroom teacher was slightly taken back by a hand that suddenly shot up in the air.

"Yes Chiharu?"

"Anou, did sensei say Reiko-chan will be gone for a week?" The girl asked.

"Yes. Hasegawa is participating in a badminton tournament at Kanagawa for a week." A series of "Oh's and Ah's" followed the educator's revelation. "Well, now that everyone knows, I trust you all will wish her luck." Kawasaki-sensei said, smiling when he got a resounding "Hai!" from his class.

Fuji Syuusuke looked at the empty seat next to him intently.

The tennis prodigy decided to shrug it off and looked to the front of the room to appear like he was paying heed to Kawasaki-sensei's announcements. // Hasegawa Reiko. I hope you're prepared for when you come back. In the meantime, I might as well take this as an opportunity. //

**--**

Out of the blue, a poignant memory decided to replay itself inside a certain amber-eyed girl's head. She was suddenly staring off into space until a speeding shuttle hit her abdomen, effectively bringing her back to the real world.

"Ouch," she grumbled, scooping the feathered shuttle off the floor with her racquet while her other hand massaged the sore spot on her stomach.

"Punishment for spacing out," muttered Nicholas. He raised his racquet in the air, signaling the raven-haired girl to give him the shuttle.

Reiko did as her teammate indicated and sent the shuttlecock flying over the net. As she did, her eyes caught a glimpse of the tournament banner hanging over the stadium doors. "Fujisawa Selection Tournament" it read, although in her mind, only the first four letters were registered.

"ACK!" She vociferated, missing the shot completely.

The boy let out a sigh. With a hand in his pocket and his racquet wedged between his right arm and ribs, he insouciantly approached the net.

Though normally not the type to pry, concern rendered him out of character. "What's up?" He asked, the expression on his face suggesting boredom.

"Nothing." Reiko responded, her lie leaving her unable to look her friend in the eye. She took the shuttle in her hand and used her thumb to comb its feathers to feign preoccupancy.

"Is it—"

"No. Not that. I just remembered something unpleasant." Her face broke into a grimace upon remembering said unpleasant memory.

Nicholas folded his arms across his chest, and with his eternally indifferent face, he said "Get your act together. If you're gonna suck this much then you should've asked Karin to warm up with you."

Five years of eating, breathing, living badminton together, and Reiko was already used to her teammate's barbed words and blunt manner of speaking. He knew her weakness, while she knew to take no offense.

The raven smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Nick. I promise I won't lose my focus, just don't make me warm up with that satanic woman."

One of the boy's dark brows arched as he stared down pointedly at his teammate.

Sensing the killer aura her friend was exuding, Reiko raised both hands in the air in resignation. "What? Technically, you were the first to imply that she was no good," she defended.

She gulped upon noticing her friend glowering at her. "At badminton" she quickly added, not wanting to incur the wrath of one that would make a very deadly opponent.

"Speaking of the uncouth woman—don't look at me like it's not true—how's it going? Is the _desire_ still hidden?" she asked, emphasizing the word 'desire' to allude to a different meaning. "Hope the mixed doubles is helping." She added, not being able to resist the opportunity to tease.

The ominous aura dissipated as the half-Japanese let out an irritated grunt.

Reiko let out a half-hearted chuckle. She still found it amusing that, despite her friend's tough, lone-wolf persona; he, too, could fall victim to the power of love. Suddenly she remembered a certain, placid, bespectacled boy, whose eyes were always impassive, yet were never once indifferent. She supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised. If Nicholas was vulnerable to cupid's troublesome little arrows, then why would Tezuka be an exception? What she didn't expect was cupid's arrow to point at her direction.

// Stupid cupid. // she grumbled mentally. Again her expression was troubled, and her anxiety was easily detected.

"What's up?" Nicholas asked in a mundane tone, making him sound like he wasn't the slightest bit interested. But, the raven knew better.

"Nothing. I just made you really seem like a bad person in my head," she joked. The boy was unfazed.

Reiko let out a heavy sigh, seeing her friend was really intent on getting to the bottom of things she really didn't want to ponder on.

"Fine, fine. It's just that, yesterday…"

The raven sucked in a huge amount of air, and in one, single breath, she told him the whirlwind of events that had happened the past week. Her speech was as quick as the passing of the hurricane of events; too fast to comprehend. By the time she finished, her entire face was smeared by a crimson stain, partly due to loss of breath but more so from the embarrassment. Somehow she felt conceited. She knew she shouldn't, but can anyone really blame her for feeling the slightest bit flattered?

"Don't let it get to your head," He warned, understanding exactly what she was feeling. He gently poked her forehead with his index finger. "Tsk. It must suck to be this Tezuka guy."

Reiko's jaw dropped as she stared at her former mixed doubles partner in awe. To any normal person, her words would've sounded like nonsensical jargon, gibberish. And yet there he sat, catching her every word and comprehending it like it was a simple "one plus one equals two". It's as if the boy knew how to speak her language. It didn't help that he could detect even the slightest of her feelings. Whisking her head, she chided herself for revering her friend at the most inappropriate moment.

"Why do you say that?" She asked, getting back to the topic.

Nicholas raised a brow in question, wasn't it obvious?

"You really are the only one with a head as thick as a brick." The boy said, amazed—albeit not looking it—at how dense she was. "Mariko-senpai was taking photos a while ago, and suddenly you got so pissed. I was eating my apple on the bus and then all of a sudden you were screaming 'don't eat your damned apple on the bus.' "

Reiko merely stared at her friend blankly. She knew he was trying to point her to the right direction, yet she only found herself more confused by the instructions. "Are you supposed to be going somewhere with this?" She asked as politely as she could.

The boy rolled his eyes. // And just when you think she couldn't get any more stupid. //

"Mariko-senpai's camera is a Fuji. I was eating a Fuji apple." He pointed his finger towards the entrance, to the banner that was on top of it. "You saw that banner and started spacing out. What do those three have in common? And if you still don't get it, then you really are hopeless."

She was instantly silenced. It felt as if she'd lost nerve to her tongue as she contemplated on the facts presented before her.

"Signs manifest only when you start looking. And it's quite obvious where you want these signs to point."

He scooped the shuttlecock Reiko had absent-mindedly dropped on the ground and bounced it effortlessly on the gut of his racquet. "I told you I felt bad for this Tezuka guy. It's because you told him you would think things through, yet it's clear that someone else has taken over your thoughts. The question to ask is; does your heart belong to someone else now, too?"

She remained silent, knowing well what the answer is. It really wasn't the web of events that was bothering her. Her perturbation was actually due to the fact that she was trying to make the truth become a lie, to blur what was so clear. She was struggling to defy reality.

"Nicholas, prepararsi! É il tuo gioco tra mezz'ora." A dark-haired foreigner alerted, calling the attentions of both teens. The man, who was in his late forties, tapped on his watch, reminding his son to be conscious of time.

"Hai, hai. Quasi pronto," Nicholas replied, mixing both Japanese and Italian. "I'll go and find Shoji. Looks like you're not up for a warm up."

Before the boy could even take a step, she asked "What if… What if it does? What do you suggest I do?" There was a quiver in her voice, evidence of the fear held for the truth.

Nicholas could only shrug his shoulders. "I'm in no position to tell you what to do. But you've simplified the problem, so I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out soon."

He gently tapped her arm with his racquet; a sign of his encouragement. And though she was one of the lucky few, at that moment, she couldn't find it in her to appreciate the gracious half-smile her teammate and confidant gave her.

**--Back at Seigaku--**

It wasn't hard to find him. The list of his lunchtime hideouts was short and consisted of a few, limited places. He'd assumed, from the previous week, he'd most likely want to be alone to think right now. He smiled; certain that after their conversation there would be a need for lots of thinking.

"You seem to be thinking hard. Is something heavy weighing on your mind?" He interrupted.

"Fuji." His deep baritone voice acknowledged. Soon his visitor was leaning on the railing with him, observing the passers-by from below.

"How's your shoulder?" He asked, genuinely concerned about his friend's condition. Right now, Tezuka's tennis career was sitting on a fence.

The bespectacled teen did what he does best. He remained quiet.

"I'm glad to see you're utilizing this place, since I've never felt the need to contemplate on things before." Fuji said, steering the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go.

He let out a chuckle as he remembered the excitement he felt in finding this place.

It was back in his first year, just a few days after the start of the school year. It was a lazy afternoon and so Fuji Syuusuke decided to walk around the campus, to cure himself of boredom and to also see how much ground he could cover in one lunch time. It was then that he discovered the school rooftop. He remembered the serenity it carries even now. The solitude it brought. He couldn't help but think how excellent a thinking place it could be. Immediately he wanted to make the place his own. He ingeniously devised a scary story about two lovers committing suicide on the very place, and spread it across his year level. Of course, his sadistic side got a few kicks out of it too; he was after all, assimilating fear into his friends and fellow freshmen.

Soon, people who were creative enough added their own ideas to his story, and helped circulate the rumor throughout the school. It wasn't long until the rooftop was added to the school's list of haunted places, and that he could finally call it his.

But he was never one to take things seriously, and so never had the necessity to ponder on anything. It was after joining the tennis club that he met the boy who was completely his opposite; the boy who was inclined to think everything over, the person he would entrust his special place to. Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"I've told her everything." The bespectacled boy said.

"I know. I came to the hospital. It wasn't my intention to eavesdrop."

He didn't show it, but Tezuka was glad that there was no need to explain things in detail. He knew of how the tennis prodigy felt, and be it in tennis or other things, he despised moving behind people's backs. And so did Fuji.

"I've come to tell you that I've leveled the playing field."

"I see." Although knowing he may be battling handicapped, Tezuka valiantly looked forward to seeing things through.

Pushing away from the railings, Fuji faced his friend and stretched out a hand. "As far as old sayings go… May the best man win?"

Tezuka gripped the hand Fuji extended and gave it a firm shake. "Aa."

**--**

Rexy-sensei was running low on his oxygen supply; it had been almost an eternity since his last intake… or so it felt that way. It took a vast amount of self-restraint to stop himself from biting his fingernails. Anxiously he awaited his protégé to take the last point. Thankfully, with the opponent committing an unforced error that sent the shuttlecock to the net, he was finally able to get the air he so much needed.

"Game! Match won by Hasegawa Reiko, 11-21, 21-19, 26-24." The umpire announced, concluding the raven's second round match.

"Well done Rei." A petite girl in pigtails cheered. She gave the raven a round of applause along with her other friends. The raven shook her opponent's and the umpire's hands, thanking them both, before heading to the direction of her friends.

"Dang Rei, you almost made me 5,000 yen poorer!" Shoji griped as soon as she arrived.

"But doesn't that mean you're 5 grand richer?" Yui asked.

"I'm 10 grand richer!" Shoji the tanned boy exclaimed, raising both his hands for high fives.

Putting her racquet in her bag, Reiko gave him what he asked for. "We're splitting it 50-50, senpai." She deadpanned.

"Haaaaai." The tall lad said, stretching his words that they almost sounded like a sigh.

"So which two people are 5,000 yen poorer?" Reiko asked while placing her towel inside one of her bag compartments.

Nicholas and Ryoutarou raised a hand each, the latter more ashamed than the former.

"Thanks a lot." She said wryly.

"What?! Nick said!" The boy with the orange highlights said.

"Whatever," was the half-Japanese's casual reply.

"But you seriously gave us all a scare there." Came a bass voice that could only belong to the burly Ansei.

"And she's not even in the top 10!" A high-pitched, whiny voice added.

"Gee, thanks for your support Karin." Reiko said sourly whilst massaging abused ears. The emerald-eyed girl—who was Reiko's self-professed rival—merely flipped her hair.

The lively chatter continued from the courts, to the shuttle bus, until they reached the lobby of the hotel. Rexy-sensei allowed his team a few more moments to scuttle about before clapping his hands to call their attentions.

"Alright people, that's it for day one. You all did a great job. Congratulations for winning all your games," the coach let his team applaud themselves before continuing. "Well, that's really all I have to say. You can all go to your rooms and shower," he paused again to stare at the guys seriously.

"I mean it boys," he warned. "Everyone will meet up here at 7 pm so we can go for dinner. Understood?"

"Hai." Everyone chorused.

"Alright. Everyone's dismissed for now… except Rei." The coach announced, curling his index finger at the said girl, beckoning her to follow him. Everyone exchanged curious and concerned glances. Each one gave the raven a pat on the shoulder before heading for the elevators.

Both mentor and mentee made their way to the lounge area in heavy silence. Reiko felt herself gulp upon seeing the expression on her coach's face. She could very well guess what their talk would be about, and she felt her dread intensify as they both took their seats.

"So Reiko, would you like to tell me what's bothering you?" Rexy-sensei began, the grave expression on his face not helping to ease the heavy atmosphere.

**--**

Remembering his "grand entrance" the night before, Fuji Yuta was a bit wary when his older brother called to ask him to meet up that very afternoon. He had every right to assume his brother sought revenge, to make him seek penance for the 'sin' he's committed against him. He was somewhat relived that his aniki arranged to meet up at a café; a public place, where lots of people could come and rescue him when things take a turn for the worst.

All apprehension soon disappeared when he finally saw his brother's serene face, the peaceful sapphire eyes that waited patiently for his arrival.

"Aniki?" The younger boy called

"Ah Yuta. I'm glad could make it." Syuusuke greeted before telling his brother to take a seat. The two gave their attending waitress their orders and waited until the food came before getting down to business.

The older of the two brothers took a sip of his drink before finally speaking. "In truth, I just wanted to thank you for the push you gave me the other day at the games. I've been making fool's decisions before then, so I appreciate you knocking some sense into your aniki's head."

Yuta scratched the back of his head, not used to his brother's sentimentality. "Tssss… It's no big deal. But…" he hesitated for a moment, "Do you really think it was the right advice? I automatically assumed it had something to do with tennis. Who would ever think you could be bothered by something _else_."

The cerulean eyed boy playfully pouted. "Mou, aren't you making aniki sound too much like a bore? Of course there are other things besides tennis. What about blackmail, and collecting cacti? I torment you, don't I?" Instantly the mock pout vanished as the tensai's sadistic smile returned to his face.

Yuta merely rolled his eyes, hiding his partial amazement at his brother's impeccable ability to remain so cavalier. "What about otou-san?"

Somehow Syuusuke's facial expression changed. Hazarding a guess, Yuta assumed it was in the way that he smiled. It wasn't even sadistic anymore, just empty.

"Life would be too tedious without risks. There's plenty of time to worry, but not enough time to be happy."

"I guess," was the younger Fuji's automatic response. He pensively stared at the tabletop, reflecting on his brother's words. "Not enough time to be happy," over and over these words repeated in his head.

All his life he'd resented his brother for the shadow he had cast upon him, only now realizing that being hidden behind its darkness could also be a good thing. He was privileged in a sense that he could live his life without a care, without worrying about being responsible. He was free; of all the pressure, to choose his own path, to be happy. Only now did he see the drawbacks of living under the spotlight; that his brother's life isn't all smiles. The question that bothered him now was; why won't his brother step away from it all? If he could choose to go to St. Rudolph to find his own stage, why couldn't his brother just refuse all the responsibility? Why does his every decision to happiness have to be taken as risks?

Finally it occurred to him, what was holding his brother back. He was playing the role of the protective big brother again, like he'd done countless times in the past. The reason why his brother won't allow himself to be even the slightest bit selfish… It was him. So that he could live his own life, his brother harbored all the responsibility. It all seemed so unfair to him.

"Sorry." Yuta mumbled; his gaze transfixed on the table.

The tennis prodigy's brows knitted, not quite comprehending what his brother had just said. Before he could ask the reason, Yuta opened his mouth to speak.

"You're trying to protect me again, aren't you?" Yuta instigated. A slight feeling of annoyance started to bubble inside him. He felt flustered that his brother, that no one, believed in his strength; that he could take on the responsibility. But he was most upset at himself; how could he have allowed himself to be that much of a nuisance?

"Why don't you just do what makes you happy? I can handle anything just as well as you can." He blurted, unintentionally saying it in an irritable manner.

Finally comprehending, Syuusuke's face broke into another smile. "As much as I appreciate the offer, it isn't yours to shoulder," he told him. "Don't worry. I have decided to do what makes me happy, but I know my actions will surely not please _everyone_."

Somehow Yuta felt unconvinced. He remained silent, internally cursing the unjust situation.

Syuusuke leaned back on his seat, folding his arms across his chest. "Otou-sama will not be meddling with my affairs for a while," he said after sensing his brother's doubt. "I've won over many obstacles, often times without preparation. And though this could be the biggest hurdle I'd have to overcome, I'm confident that I will get through it, especially since this time I've preempted it." His gaze became distant, averting themselves to the passersby outside the café window.

"I guess you can say I'm relying on what might be a fallacious ideal, but I'll have to depend on what people have told me many times; I'll have to believe that I'm a tensai and have faith in my strength." His stare returned to his younger brother, who seemed to be mulling over the last of his words.

Inwardly Yuta wondered where his brother's confidence stemmed from. Sure, it was okay to believe in your own strength, but to take on a lion without even putting on armor? Was his brother seeking to dig his own grave?

Fuji smiled. "As long as I'm not alone, as long as the most important person believes," he pointed a finger to the side of his temple. "I won't doubt the capability of my weapon…" he said. "Even the scorpion holds high esteem for it." He added smugly.

Yuta smiled upon his brother's words. So _that's _who it all came from. Surely he still had a lot of discovering to do. "Count one more person in you army. It's time I repay you for all the times you've had my back."

Fuji smiled. The sliver of hope was getting bigger. All of a sudden, victory didn't seem so far-fetched.

**--**

Reiko swallowed the lump on her throat. She struggled to find her voice for a moment, but finally managed after clearing her throat several times. "Just some personal stuff, sensei." She said, fingers drawing imaginary circles on the table top.

"Tsk. Personal stuff, huh?" The older man leaned back on his seat and crossed his arms before finally speaking again. "Look Rei, I'm sure you are aware of the reason I called you here. You're performance today…"

He let out a sigh. "What can I say," he paused for a moment, thinking whether he should leave any reservations. After deciding it was his job not to, he continued. "It was downright sloppy. Your movements around the court were sluggish. Your court sense was plain ridiculous. I mean, you never even noticed you were going after meter-out shots. I shudder to think what would happen in your upcoming matches with higher ranked players," he reproved.

"More importantly, you weren't even thinking about your shots. It's like you left your mind somewhere else and played solely using reflexes."

"I'm sorry Rexy-sensei." Reiko apologized, keeping her gaze low for she was far too ashamed to look her coach in the eye.

"Don't say sorry to me, Rei. It wasn't my game," he said. He massaged his temples before crossing his arms once again.

"Look, obviously something is bothering you, but I'd like you to just leave it behind for now. Out of all the people I've trained, you were the one person that had consistently kept her focus, the only one who's never taken her eyes off the ball," he let out a heavy sigh, showing his utmost disappointment. "Rei. You have to think; right now, all you are is a badminton player. Think that you're nothing else," he advised.

"Otherwise…" the coach trailed. His voice suddenly sounded alarming to the raven.

"Otherwise?" She asked, her voice cracking, while her vision became misty.

Again, the badminton coach let out a sigh. "Look. I know you're better than this, and you know you are, but you have to show me that. Why have you been working so hard? What is it all for?" He asked.

The raven remained silent for a moment, searching the answers within herself. Finally she was able to calm herself. Once her breathing steadied, she looked up to meet her coach's eyes. Amber orbs burned with determination, desiring to see her dreams come to fruition.

"To be the best," she answered; voice firm and resolute.

"Then you have to believe it. You have to want it, more than _anything_ else," He emphasized. "I want you to take this tournament as an opportunity to show me. Show me you're worthy Rei. Earn the ticket to become the best. That's the only way it'll work."

Fists clenched under the table, it was then and there that Hasegawa Reiko made her decision. "Hai. I promise I won't disappoint you, sensei." she said.

"Not to me, Rei, to you. I'm just a witness, a guide. The only person you should ever worry about disappointing is yourself.

Reiko gave her coach a nod. To herself she sealed a promise and to her troubled heart's problems, she brought a conclusion. Along with her oath, she found reason.

**--**

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**XXXXXXXX

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**Author's Notes:**

So yeah, hope this update would do til the next one!

Also, if any of you guys have a few minutes to spare and are curious as to how Reiko looks like, you can check out

w w w. battleofthetensais . blogspot .c o m (remove the spaces in between..? LOL!)

I've redrawn her, and the image is now closer to the one in my head! HAHA! You'll also notice her smile is smug, well that's because she's just being Rei. :)

To the anonymous people who have kindly left a review:

**fanfic addict anonymous XP**- Yes, I'm very much alive and well, despite the dreaded Swine flu that has alarmingly managed to spread to a neighbouring suburb. I have to say, I was all smiles while reading your review. I continue to write this fic for personal pleasure, and I'm glad the fun I have is being passed down to the readers. I'm glad you like my drawings, despite my pitiable artistic sense. You'll find that I've redrawn Reiko, I hope you can check it out. Yes, the first kiss scene... I'm the type who slaps my head at sappy romance scenes, and so I just had to ruin it at the ripest moment! LOL! (sorry to some readers who expected pure fluff..?) And yeah, about the cacti and the naming stuff, I don't mind so don't worry about it. Anyway, thanks again for reviewing, hope you liked this update!

**angelazabini**- LOL! Well, it's good someone's willing to catch Tezuka's 'feelings'. Thanks a lot for reading and reviewing and I hope you like this update!

**xTwilight~Fanx-** Glad you liked the chapter. Can't say I'm a big fan of the movie, though the book, definitely... I just remembered the line of the top of my head.. :) Really happy you liked that chapter, I hope you like this one as well. I don't see what's to like in this one though, it's a sad chapter... at least it's supposed to be.

**hello-** first of all, hi. LOL! This is what I meant when I said in the past chapters that the story is going to pick up pace. I hope I've somewhat explained what Fuji is planning to do about his father. I'm sure I didn't do it quite thoroughly but I hope it shed _some_ light on the topic. But yeah, if you're still a bit confused, his sudden change of heart was caused by Rei from chapter 26, when she was calling to him... uhm, more explanation at the beginning of this chapter? Yeah... so he sort of realized his feelings weren't completely unsolicited and that he sort of jumped on the ball too quickly when he assumed the person Reiko was waiting for was Tezuka. Hope that settles it! Thanks a heap for reading and reviewing.

I guess that's all for the shout outs! If I haven't replied to any of you guys who reviewed by PM... I'm SOOOOORRRRRY! Although I think I've been thorough with the replies? (I hope)... Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and review. If you guys have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me. Err, that said... See you all in July!


	28. It's A Small World, After All

**Oh boy...**

Um, first of all, I'd like to say... 'Hi guys!' Ahehehe!

Secondly, I'd like to apologise for this really (super, incredibly) delayed update. The truth was I had most of this chapter written down ages ago, and the outline readied waaaay before that. It was just around the last bit of this chapter that I had a real difficulty putting into words. So many ideas just kept flowing it was so hard to pick the ones that would mesh.

It took me a whole month just to write the last bit of this chapter, although I think it still came out kinda sloppy and lazy. I assure you I didn't do it half-assed though, even if it may seem that way when compared to the beginning. (I really need a beta, despite this story being only a few more chapters away from coming to an end.)

I think I've put all that I wanted to put in this chapter, so I can only hope that I did it right.

That said, I hope you guys enjoy.

(I shouldn't really say enjoy, but I hope you errr... like? this update)

**--**

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**Chapter 28**

It's A Small World, After All

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To a normal person, the multitude of people surrounding the match court at this very moment was more than sufficient to cause anyone to crack. To be under the scrutiny of hundreds of watchful pairs of eyes, all expectant and waiting to see what you're next action would be; pure mental torture. Add the fact that you are but one more point from triumph or failure; from winning or losing _the _final match and, voila, the recipe for an instant panic attack.

But it seemed as though none of these things were enough to faze the two young girls, who refused to let their eyes stray from the speedy shuttlecock that flew from end to end as they both battled for the one, final point. This was, by far, the longest rally in the whole tournament, and being the final-point only augmented the eternal wait. Both desired to win, overlooking the possibility of failure. It seemed it would be a battle of patience and endurance.

Smash.

The audience held their breaths. It seemed one's patience was already starting to waver.

The girl, who has now been put to defense, quick-wittedly returned the shot with a cross-court net.

Suspenseful gasps rippled among the spectators. Suddenly the tide has turned.

After having caught the opponent off-guard, the prolonged rally progressively started to look in favor of the less hasty of the two, the raven-haired one; the one who precisely calculated every shot within the mere seconds before its execution. The speed at which she was reacting showcased the vast effort and dedication she had put into sharpening her senses up to the point of hypersensitivity.

However, despite being highly sensitized, the burning of her lungs and the aching of her muscles barely even registered. All that was present was the shuttle, an opponent, and her dream; nothing else.

Suddenly her movements became faster, more aggressive. Remembering her goal was like being doused with adrenalin; the motivation fueled her to work harder.

Another smash.

It was either the shuttle got slower, or she was moving faster. Either way, she was more than prepared when it came. She stretched her arm out and got her racquet head just behind the shuttle. Before it could make contact, she rotated her wrist back, delaying the shot.

Deception.

Only the subtle, crisp sound of the strings making contact with the rubber end of the feathered object was heard. With a quick flick of her wrist, she sent the shuttle soaring, high and fast over to her opponent's backhand corner. The girl on the opposite court was caught off-guard, the flick guised well by the motion of one preparing for a net shot. She barely managed to catch the shot. She put all her weight onto her dominant foot, while all her power focused into what would be her final shot.

The opponent could only watch as the raven extended her legs, soaring in the air. Her lithe form seemed to float if only for a fraction of a second. With one, fluid movement, she smashed the shuttle to the ground, leaving only the sound upon impact to show for the explosiveness of the shot.

Everything was still and silent until the umpire's final call.

"Game. Match won by Hasegawa, 19-21, 21-19, 30-29."

In an instant, thunderous applause rumbled through the entire stadium. Rexy-sensei quickly got on his feet to deliver a standing ovation, hollering words of praise as he did. The relief he felt after the raven emerged victor failed to go unnoticed.

"That's favouritism, sensei." Shoji deadpanned, his arms crossed and an eyebrow arched.

"Eh?" said the dumbfounded coach. The rest of his team laughed out heartily, all aware of his slight preference of one over the rest of them. They didn't mind too much since she was also given twice the amount of punishments.

The runner-up walked over to the net, shaking the umpire's hand and giving him her thanks before turning to the victor, who had nothing but a vacant expression on her face. A smirk began to form on her face.

"Hey, if you're going to greet me with a face like that then I'll never be able to accept defeat." She called, snapping the dazed girl out of her reverie.

Realization instantly occupied Reiko's blank face, and she approached the net with her face still looking half-dazed. She couldn't explain why victory seemed so ordinary, why she felt an unquenchable dissatisfaction. Was that it? She asked herself. Victory definitely felt more difficult to attain just moments ago. The expression on her face failed to escape sharp, watchful eyes.

Putting on a sheepish smile, she walked over to the net, rubbed the back of her head before extending a hand to her once opponent. "Thanks for the match, Yui-senpai."

The older girl smiled and shook her pale hand firmly. "You played well, Reiko." She commended, giving her teammate a congratulatory pat on the back with her racquet.

The raven thanked the umpire before walking over to where her coach and other teammates were. As she made her trip, she was showered with praises from those who witnessed the epic match.

Rexy-sensei quickly cleared his throat as his two girls approached. She gave the older of the two a pat on the shoulder. "Well played, Yui." He remarked, earning a 'thanks' before he looked over to the seemingly puffed-out, raven-haired girl, who busied herself with gathering her items.

The coach walked over and cleared his throat. "Right, Rei. Good job. You still need to work on that follow-through after backhand clears. Go stretch and cool down." He instructed. He looked over his shoulder to where the runner-up stood before saying, "You go stretch too, Yui." With that, he left his team to have their fun.

"Wah! The day Reiko takes Yui's crown has finally come!" said Mariko with watery eyes. "I didn't think it would happen so soon! It's too early!" She wailed, pretending to cry on Ansei's thick, broad shoulders.

Reiko rolled her eyes at the older girl's antics. She rummaged through her sports bag and fished her phone out. She pressed down on a button for a few seconds before the screen came to life. She instantly broke a sweat upon what greeted her on the screen.

47 Unread Messages

Her jaw nearly dismounted upon seeing the torrent of messages in her inbox. She'd neglected her phone throughout the entire week, only remembering to charge it last night when she saw her charger in the process of looking for a fresh pair of underwear. She skimmed through the first 10 messages, noticing each one was fairly the same as the others; expressions of encouragement from her classmates and friends. She felt her eyes start to well and she began sniffing, touched by their support. Overwhelmed by the mass of messages that mostly had the same content; she decided to only read those that were from the most significant people in her life, not that her other classmates weren't important. This was a huge mistake on her part, as these messages impelled her mood to fluctuate at a rate that could've given any normal person a spasm. Some of the like were;

Message from: Mom (Monday)

"Hi dear. How is _Fuji_sawa? 

Reiko cringed upon reading just the first line.

I went in your room to clean up and saw that your bag of toiletries was left on the bed. I hope you at least thought of buying deodorant from there. 

Reiko could feel the heat emanate from her face, even when she was the only person who was reading the message. Maybe she should've skipped the older messages. (a/n: Reiko's reading the text messages from the bottom: oldest, up: the newest)

You're a big girl now. Don't go running around without antiperspirant because you won't always smell fresh. Good luck with the tournament dear. Love you. Oh, did you pack enough underwear?"

End of Message

She cringed, and grimaced, and wrinkled her nose, as though reading the message had been a torturously humiliating ordeal. After mumbling a string of incoherent words that revolved around "geez", "stupid", and "always treating me like a kid", the raven-haired girl continued to the next message.

Message from: Haruto Chiharu (Monday)

"Hey woman! Y didn't u tell us u had a 2rney on this wk?! We're supposed to b friends, u knw? Meh, I'll 4give u, but since we're not there, u betta do sum serious azz kickin on r behalf. XD And take lotsa pics of any hot guys. I want a full report wen u get bak, so u betta b ready! Oh! Nd Yumi, Eiji and Oishi say hi!"

End of Message

Reiko's eyes were filled with horror, obviously disturbed by the idea of surveying the area for good looking males, and by her friend's ability to spell. She shook her head disapprovingly, let out a sigh, before moving on to the next message, but not without muttering a few words that dallied along the lines of, "baka", "pervert", and "adulterer".

Reiko was a little taken back by the next message, or rather, by receiving a message from an unexpected person. Her fingers clumsily fumbled on the keypad as she opened it.

Message from: Tezuka Kunimitsu (Wednesday)

Hasegawa, yudan sezu ni ikou.

End of Message

She let out a silent chuckle. It was a bit of a relief to know that in spite of all the troublesome events, Tezuka Kunimitsu would always be _the_ Tezuka Kunimitsu; cool, calm, collected. Not to mention concise. Unknown to her, sending the ostensibly simple message took the bespectacled lad two restless nights and a voice that nagged at the back of his head.

Finally she was left with four, all of which she left out as they came from the _one_ sender. Most people only sent her one to wish her luck. At the most, a person sent two; this person sent one message for each day of the week through to Thursday. She had purposefully skipped them whilst going through the torrent, unsure whether she should read them or not. She took in a deep breath, deciding on the former, and anxiously bit on her lower lip, dreading what the message had in store. She could hear her heart pound in her head as the screen loaded.

Message from: Fuji Syuusuke (Monday)

:)

End of Message

Lost, Reiko found her head slowly angle to the side. Her brows furrowed together as she waited for the next one to open.

Message from; Fuji Syuusuke (Tuesday)

:)

End of message

Now, the raven's nose crinkled and creases appeared on her once smooth forehead in utter confusion. She found that the Wednesday and Thursday messages were also the same. Her mouth mechanically fell open and a nonplused "Hah?" escaped her lips.

She was about to put her phone down and begin her stretching, when it suddenly vibrated in her hand.

You have 1 New Message

She arched one brow upon learning it was from the same person that sent her cryptic messages. Sure she got they were smileys, but she couldn't help but wonder if they stood for something else? She also assumed that the new message would be the same as his other ones. Luckily she opened it to double check.

Message from: Fuji Syuusuke (Friday)

Are celebrations called for? I'm confident you did well.

A faint blush tainted her cheeks.

I didn't tell you eariler as it might affect your game, but I've told Tezuka about Sunday.

Eyes bulging out of their sockets, Reiko instantly exploded. "HE DID WHAT?!" She roared. The faint pink now turned into a glowing red that spread like an epidemic on her face. Attracting unwanted attention, she tried to calm herself a bit. She read the rest of the message whilst still fuming.

Other than that, you didn't miss much. I trust you didn't do things of Haruto-san's suggestion. Eiji said you "need" to buy him some shirasu(1) to compensate for not informing him about your competition. I took care of the history test, but I wish you luck for the mountainous pile of homework you have to do. Have a great day! :)  
Also, I miss you.

In a flash, her anger was discarded and the shade of beet crimson was now due to something entirely different. Again she heard her erratic heart beat, her stomach churned, and she nibbled on her lower lip as the last line lingered in her head.

Noticing that the 'End of Message' line wasn't in sight, she pressed the key with the arrow pointing downward only to find that there was more to the message.

The week went by slowly without anyone to torment. But I guess this makes up for that. :)

End of Message

She had the strongest urge to rip something into shreds, and so quickly put her phone down before it fell victim to an untamed violence. She breathed in and out, in and out, until her heart rate became more stable. Through gritted teeth, she cursed the sender of the infuriating message, grumbling words such as "two-faced", "sadist", and "snivelling weasel". She decided to vent her anger out by stretching and doing more than the required amount of sit-ups and push-ups a normal "cool down" demanded.

A few minutes of silent stretching and…

"Gah! Stupid smileys!" She growled as the 'smileys' in the text messages suddenly began to resemble the sender.

**--**

Reiko usually never had any trouble sleeping in the car. Her teammates even said she had the gift to 'sleep at will'. But now that the tournament was over, she realized that there were a vast amount of things she needed to seriously think about and that she didn't know where to begin. She deliberated on each one for a few moments, but found they were more exhausting than her entire week. Finally she felt the onset of fatigue. She placed her travel pillow against the window and leaned her head against it. Her eyes had only been closed for a few moments when an extremely excited Mariko shrieked and shook her shoulders until she was conscious again.

"Rei, Rei! Look!" The supposedly more mature girl called. The raven groggily opened her eyes and allowed her gaze to trace where her teammate pointed. She found her finger was directed to an elevated chunk of land in the distance.

Reiko arched a brow.

"It's Mount Fuji! You really can see it here on a clear day!" She gaped. She quickly swiped her digital camera from her bag and took photos of the majestic body of land.

"ACK!" The raven groused, calling the attention of everyone inside the mini-bus. Curious pairs of eyes focused at her in silence.

The hushed atmosphere abruptly came to an end when a subdued snickering was heard. Everyone followed the sound, and saw a dumbstruck Ryoutarou sitting next to a shaking Nicholas.

"Ha. Ha ha. Ha." They heard as they watched the teen clutch his stomach.

A few seconds later and…

"AHHH! REXY-SENSEI! NICK IS HAVING A SEIZURE!" Ryoutarou screamed in panic.

The pale, raven-haired girl rolled her amber eyes in annoyance before muffling a frustrated grunt with her pillow. It was going to be a loooong drive home.

**--**

It was around five in the afternoon when the mini-bus pulled over the Hasegawa driveway. Getting off, she took her bags from the boot and thanked her coach and Nicholas' father for driving and for taking care of them that whole week. She bid everyone still inside the bus "goodbye" and they congratulated her on her victory once more in return.

"Thanks. See you guys at training." She said, waving her hand before Mr. Petroni (a.k.a. Nicholas' dad) reversed the bus out of the driveway and into the main street.

She let out a huff before slinging the two large bags on each shoulder. She put one bag down and rummaged the other for her house keys.

"Tadaima." She called out upon entering the front door, only to find that there was no one at home. It was late in the afternoon, and she took it that her father was still at work, and her mother must have gone to the nearby grocers and took Krypto along for the walk.

She dropped her bags on the floor, went to the kitchen and washed her hands before searching the pantry for something to snack on. She ended up taking a box of cereals and a large packet of M&M's. She put a hefty amount of both into a bowl before pouring the milk she'd taken from the fridge. She sat herself down on one of the dining chairs before digging into the assorted mix.

She found herself staring into space as she mechanically chewed on her food. The kitchen clock ticked loudly and it sounded like she could hear her munching echo throughout the entire house. It had never been that quiet, and the unbearable silence engendered a weird feeling in the pits of her stomach. She lazily surveyed her surroundings, silently asking herself if the house had always been that big and dark. Suddenly she felt cold, and could only pin down the unpleasant feeling as 'homesickness'.

"Heh," she snorted, dismissing the thought. How can one be homesick if they were already at home?

She dumped her bowl on the sink before lugging herself up to her bedroom. She quickly went to the bathroom to remove her contact lenses before plopping down on the well-made bed. She buried her face onto a pillow, only to turn it sideward when her air supply ran thin.

Lying on her stomach, she quietly observed the room. It was unusually clean; the floor was free of clutter and the only pile she found was a neat stack of books and papers on the desk. It was then that her eyes narrowed on a metallic blue paper bag laced with curled grey and silver ribbons. Pushing herself off, she zeroed in on the object and grasped it before taking it with her to the bed. She put on the pair of glasses that rested on the bedside table before reading the attached card.

Although only a 'Congratulations!' was written on it, she recognized the legible penmanship anywhere. She carefully undid the ribbons and gasped upon seeing what was inside the bag. Her bright, ochre eyes stared into the plush toy's large, beady, black ones. It was a panda; a very round, very adorable looking panda about the size of her forearm. She gave in to the urge of squeezing the stuffed item with all her strength. Thereafter she buried her face into its soft belly, registering the faint, familiar scent akin to that of the giver. Somehow, the simple object made her forget about her worries, even by a little bit. She stared at it for a few more minutes, suddenly feeling inclined to dye her dog black and white and overfeed it.

Placing her glasses back on the side table, she lay down on the bed with the cuddly item in her arms.

**--**

"Thank you for helping me with Krypto and the groceries, Syuusuke-kun. For some reason, that dog is being especially playful today." Mrs. Hasegawa said while opening the door with her keys.

The tennis prodigy flashed the woman a warm smile. "You're very welcome, Hasegawa-san. Krypto doesn't seem so difficult to handle now, though?" The boy said, giving the dog that obediently sat by his side a loving pat.

"Yes. It's quite clear he likes you. Also, feel free to call me Hiromi." The middle-aged lady said as she let both the teen and the hound inside the house. They quickly noticed the two bags on the ground, and the gleaming trophy on the coffee table.

"My, it looks like Reiko did well." She smiled a proud, motherly smile, before leading the way into the kitchen. She didn't fail to notice the content and proud smile that also lingered on the young man's face.

"You can put the bags down on the table, Syuusuke-kun. I'll take care of it later."

"Hai." Fuji replied, doing as he was told.

The middle-aged woman made her way to the living room and motioned the teen to follow her. Fuji's brows raised in question but did as instructed nevertheless.

"Reiko?" Mrs. Hasegawa called, leading the way up the stairs now.

They walked down the long hallway before stopping in front of the door right at the end. Mrs. Hasegawa knocked softly and called again. "Rei?" Hearing no reply, she twisted the knob and opened the door slightly.

The two smiled upon sight of the sleeping figure on the bed. She looked so childlike; innocent and peaceful. Fuji grinned subtly when he saw the stuffed animal in the slumbering girl's arms.

"The poor dear must be exhausted." Mrs. Hasegawa said, before leaving her daughter to rest. She closed the door before ushering the lad down the stairs this time.

"Would you like some cake, Syuusuke-kun?" She asked.

"Oh, that's okay Hiromi-san," the boy declined politely. "Actually, a few friends and I went out to eat before we ran into each other."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Hasegawa insisted.

The boy gave her another nod before she let it go. "I guess I better be off. I promised Onee-san I would be back before six," he said.

Mrs. Hasegawa smiled. "You're a good boy. Syuusuke-kun." She acclaimed as she led him to the front door. The tennis prodigy bowed politely before stepping out. "Thank you again, Syuusuke-kun, for everything."

From the way she said her thanks, it didn't seem like the older woman was referring to his helping with the groceries. Fuji decided to brush off his trivial suspicion and smiled again.

**--**

Slowly, Reiko opened her eyes, blinking a few times while simultaneously stretching her arms to the side. She blindly tapped her hand on the side table, her hands feeling for her spectacles' familiar shape. Once they were under her grasp, she carefully picked it up and put it on her face. She then reached out the side table once more, this time to grab her clock.

It was six in the morning. She'd slept for almost 13 hours. She swung her legs to the side and planted her feet on the carpeted floor before lethargically propping herself up. A loud yawn escaped her lips as she made her way to the bathroom. She stretched her arms a few more times before washing her face and brushing her teeth.

She made her way back into the bedroom and settled on the swivelling chair. Spinning herself around and around, she thought of how she was going to kill time. She abruptly stopped spinning upon feeling dizzy and coincidentally ended up facing the overwhelming stack of books and papers on her desk. She puffed her cheeks feeling slightly annoyed at the sight that greeted her so early in the morning. Huffing, she grudgingly decided to start her school work.

Oddly, it was as if the ticking of her clock was being amplified. Tick (tick). Tock (tock). Each 'tick' ticked twice. Each 'tock' tocked twice, as though the walls surrounding her suddenly became hollow. As the orange light from dawn slipped through a tiny slit between the curtains, she heard the same unbearable silence, felt the same emptiness as she did yesterday, when the orange light from dusk slipped through the tiny slit between the curtains. Today was yesterday, yesterday is today.

She read the same sentence on the open English textbook seven times. Not a single word sunk in.

Letting a frustrated grunt out, she slammed the hardbound cover of the textbook shut before grabbing a change of clothes from her closet. She was wearing a fresh pair of contact lenses and a compression suit upon coming out of the bathroom. She went over to her closet once more to grab a pair of socks, running shoes and a slightly oversized track jacket which she wore over the form-fitting suit.

Quietly she headed down the stairs, grabbing her keys on her way out of the house. It'd been raining all week; summer was rapidly transitioning to fall. It was darker now; the streetlights which were usually turned off at that hour now dimly lit the empty streets. Suddenly, despite the thermals she had on, she felt herself shiver from the early morning chill. She zipped her jacket all the way up, turning the collar into a turtleneck to shield her from the cold.

She was in the middle of stretching her legs out when headlights from a familiar red car parking at her neighbour's house blinded her eyes. She decided to jog over to greet Fuji Yumiko 'good morning' and see what she was up to at such an early hour, and was slightly surprised to find the tennis prodigy step out of the car with her.

Wide sapphire eyes quickly turned into upturned slits.

"We're up quite early, ne Reiko-chi?" The fair-haired boy greeted, almost chuckling upon seeing the said girl's reaction to his casual reference to her name.

Cheeks flushed and eyes twitching, Reiko managed to force a smile on her face. "I could say the same to you." She muttered, nearly forgetting what she came over for. She abruptly turned to face the older woman and bowed her head down stiffly. "Actually, I just came over to say good morning to Yumiko-san." She revealed.

The brown-haired woman smiled. "That's quite thoughtful of you, Reiko-san. Are you going for a run?" She inquired. The raven confirmed with another stiff nod.

"It's still quite dark for a run, don't you think?" The tennis-prodigy pressed, keeping the underhanded grin well in place.

"There are streetlights all over the neighbourhood." She retorted.

"Yes, and so are... '_creeps'_." The tennis prodigy added, struggling to find a suitable yet less critical word for, well those who lurked in the wee hours of the morning doing malicious, criminal acts.

Reiko's already pale face drained further in colour while her mind quickly displayed paranoid scenarios of possible run-ins with said people.

Seeing the girl's immediate silence, the tennis prodigy felt content knowing he'd gotten his point across. "So, please wait patiently while I change." He said, fighting the grin that pulled at the corners of his lips.

"Hah?" Said a slack jawed, dumbfounded Reiko. The raven only noticed the semi-formal, slacks and vest-over-business-shirt attire her ('long-lost') childhood friend was sporting when he entered the house. She eyed the thick brown envelope he carried with him inside suspiciously.

Yumiko could only smile. "Please excuse him. I'm sure you've noticed that my brother takes pleasure in acting unconventionally." She said, clearing the air of silence.

"Unconventional is an understatement." Reiko muttered.

"But I hope you understand," Yumiko continued, calling the attention of the raven once more. "This is just how he looks after those he cares most about."

Instantly, the cold dissipated upon hearing the statement that made the raven grow feverishly warm. Abashed, she kept her gaze on the feet which she shuffled restlessly on the ground.

"Would you like to wait inside, Reiko-san?" Yumiko asked, opening the front door to usher the younger girl in.

Reiko could only blink, still slightly taken by the earlier statement. "T-that's okay. I wouldn't want to have to get accustomed to the cold all over again." She stammered, declining as politely as she could.

"Are you sure?" The older woman insisted.

The raven gave her a nod. "Yes. I'm fine. You should also go inside before you get cold, Yumiko-san." She said.

The eldest of the Fuji siblings smiled again. "Alright. Have a good run. And please don't start without Syuusuke. Remember, unconventional." The woman reminded, winking as she left a shuddering Reiko.

As soon as Yumiko was inside, the raven-haired girl let out a heavy sigh. "Seriously, what is _that_ Fuji (knowing that there are so many different types Fuji's) thinking?" She sat on the porch's steps and spun her keys around her index finger while waiting.

**--**

The tennis prodigy had just put on an orange, hooded sweat shirt when a knock on his door was heard.

"Come in." He permitted.

"Wouldn't you like to rest first, Syuusuke? You were up all night." Yumiko asked, almost entreatingly.

The younger Fuji smiled. "I'm fine, Onee-san. I don't feel tired at all." He reassured, but the genuine expression on his face wasn't enough to purge the worry on his sister's face.

Fuji Yumiko stared at the brown envelope on her brother's desk grimly. The other immediately sensed his sister's apprehension, as though her thoughts resonated in his mind.

"He promised. Not until that time." He said, fishing a sports watch from a drawer in his closet. "There's no harm in giving him a little 'incentive' to keep his word."

He made sure the watch was securely strapped to his wrist before walking over to his desk to pick up the envelope. Heading over to where the woman stood, he handed her the item.

"Saa... I'm sorry to bother you with this, Senior Vice President of Marketing-san." He said, a playful grin occupying his face.

Yumiko smiled as she took the envelope off his brother's hands. "I'll review it before I finalize the presentation, future President-san." She said.

"Please do. Thank you very much for your help," said the tennis prodigy as he closed the door behind him. The two headed down the stairs surrounded by a chipper atmosphere.

"Saa... I guess I'll be back for breakfast. See you later, Onee-san."

"Have a good run, Syuusuke." She bade.

**--**

The underhanded grin was impossible to resist as Fuji spotted a jaded Reiko sitting on their steps. Her head was perched on the hand attached to the arm that rested on her bent leg while she twirled and twirled her house keys around her extended index finger.

He silently closed the door behind him and sneakily positioned himself behind the unsuspecting girl. He crouched down until his face was levelled with the small area of skin that her turtleneck failed to cover and blew. The keys fell to the ground as Reiko's entire body instantaneously turned rigid. She quickly jolted up, her hands covering the violated spot on her neck protectively, and turned around to find a chuckling Fuji.

Then abruptly the laughter stopped and bright, blue eyes were suddenly exposed. Before she could wake the entire neighbourhood up with a scream, he spoke.

"You seem very enthusiastic, ne?" He teased before giving the raven a very quick pat on the head.

Again, Reiko was dumbstruck. Before she could mutter a quick 'What the hell?', Fuji had already sprinted off. Staggering on her feet, she hastily made a dash to catch up.

"Seriously, after making me wait for you..." Reiko grumbled, finally catching up. "Ungrateful ba—"

She was instantly rendered speechless when the tennis prodigy took hold of her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. A blush suddenly warmed her cold cheeks.

// How can his hands still be so warm despite the cold? //

She opened her mouth to protest but was cut off once again.

"Saa... Seems like I've been captured," said Fuji. He looked over to his running partner with an enigmatic smile on his face. "I definitely can't run away now."

She felt her heart twist. Seeing the satisfaction on the tennis prodigy's face was like having a bullet pierce her heart. She suddenly remembered the promise she made with herself, and instantly she was overcome by guilt.

"Fuji," she called, her strides abruptly coming to a stop. "I..." She kept her gaze on the hand entwined with hers, mind deep in thought.

// Tell him, Rei. You have to. Tell him _now. _// She ordered herself.

"What's wrong?" The tennis prodigy asked. The Cheshire grin on his face had been completely wiped off and was now replaced by furrowed brows and questioning blue eyes. He gave her hand a light squeeze, imploring her to continue. The simple action stirred her out of her thoughts. The moment she looked up to meet his gaze, all words were immediately forgotten.

It was _that _look again. It frightened her how the one look could generate so many different responses she had no control over. Again she felt strangely feverish; her thoughts were now in a jumbled mess and the only thing she could hear was the drumming in her head. She could only feel the pounding of her heart; it always raced upon each time she caught glimpse of those sapphire eyes.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Reiko felt herself jump upon the untimely chiming of the object on her wrist. The tennis prodigy eyed the watch curiously as the startled girl raised it to her face. Amber eyes widened in horror while azure eyes turned into upturned slits after both pairs read what was on the screen.

'200 bpm' blinked on the small screen of the black watch with the built-in heart-rate monitor.

Slowly,hesitantly, the raven raised her gaze, only to find a smirking Fuji with a hand under his chin.

"My..." He started, almost sneering at the now mortified girl.

Face brightly flushed, she shook her head in denial. "It's from the running!" She yelled before sprinting off to hide her embarrassment.

The tennis prodigy let out a chuckle. "Saa, so she says," he whispered before following suit.

**--**

"See you later." The lady in the reception desk bade cheerily as the tall, bespectacled boy made his way out of the sports centre's sliding doors.

Tezuka gave a nod, acknowledging the lady, pulled the strap of the sports bag that hung on his shoulder, before fully exiting the complex.

The stoic boy rotated his left shoulder repeatedly while making his way to the nearby train station. All the while his mind was preoccupied with the words and images of the brochure Ryuzaki-sensei had given him the previous week.

"Ara..." A voice said, causing the bespectacled teen to turn around. Before him stood a stranger who looked so vaguely familiar. His salt and pepper hair gave a good indication of the man's age, and the tennis bag hanging on the old man's shoulder immediately caught the boy's attention.

"You play tennis, boy?" The old man asked; a foreboding grin plastered on his slightly wrinkled face.

"Yes," Tezuka replied in his usual monotone. Inwardly he tried to recall where he may have seen the man before. He was never the type to forget a face, and so the teen was bothered when he couldn't put a finger on the man's identity.

Subtly, he observed the man. For a person of his age, the man had a prominently good posture. He could see the well-toned yet uneven muscles on his forearms, the subtle disproportion of his right from his left was sufficient evidence to assume he was a very experienced tennis player. His skin was unusually pale though, which was unusual to most tennis players.

The stranger strode towards him, adjusting the pair of spectacles that rested on his face by its stem. The simple gesture allowed Tezuka to catch a glimpse of man's eyes, and he almost said 'Hasegawa' out loud upon sight of his bright amber eyes.

"Heh..." The stranger eyed him from head to toe, while a hand rested under his chin, evidently examining him. "You think you can spare this old geezer a game or two?"

Tezuka kept silent for a moment. Although the stranger's light complexion made him appear fragile, the boy knew he was a much more formidable than he looked.

"I don't mind." The placid boy replied. He needed a good hit anyway. An hour and half with three ball machines still left him unsatisfied.

The man's face brightened. "Will you lead the way then? I'm afraid I'm not from around here so I have no idea where the nearest court is," he informed.

"Of course," the bespectacled boy agreed. He turned and started towards a different direction while the old man towed behind him.

"So, which university do you play for, boy?" The man asked, trying to make small talk as they trudged to their destination.

Tezuka felt his eye twitch upon hearing the question. Fighting to keep his face straight and voice even, he said "None. I am a still in middle school."

Surprised, the stranger replied to the revelation with a wheezy laugh. "You're joking? Why on earth would a middle school student have such a serious expression?" The man asked as he struggled to contain his laughter.

Tezuka merely pushed his glasses up by its bridge, keeping silent. Thankfully the nearest tennis courts were only a couple more minutes away.

The impassive boy held back a sigh of relief when they finally reached their destination. "We're here." He announced.

The man stopped his laughter and straightened himself up before observing the surroundings. The court was located under the overpass where the trains ran; the red, clay grounds enclosed by tall wire fences. He smirked as he routinely tapped his foot on the court's surface. // He's a smarty, eh? // He thought, knowing that the boy had purposely brought him to a clay court so that his rickety, old bones won't suffer from impact too much.

Each pulled a racquet and two tennis balls out before placing their bags down on a bench. Tezuka walked over to the other side of the net while the old man approached it.

"Rough or smooth?" The man asked.

"Smooth." Tezuka called and unsurprisingly ended up getting the serve. He took a ball out of his pocket and dribbled it with his racquet as he made his way behind the service line. He waited for his opponent to finish stretching his arms before he caught the ball with his left hand.

He tossed the ball up, leaned back on his right knee while pulling his right arm back and was about to make contact with the tennis ball when—

"WAIT!" The old man suddenly called.

The bespectacled boy caught the ball in the air with his left hand before eyeing the old man on the other side questioningly.

With a hand on his waist and the head of his racquet pointed towards the stoic boy, the old man said, "Who are you trying to fool boy? Play me properly." He ordered.

Although his face was blank, Tezuka inwardly wondered how the stranger knew he was left-handed before they even began to play.

As if reading his mind, the old man smirked. "The grip on your racquet is obviously done for left-handers." He told him, making the boy eye the handle of his racquet.

He had definitely underestimated his opponent. Resisting a smile, Tezuka instead settled on pushing the bridge of his glasses up. His emotionless face masked the excitement he felt inside perfectly.

"I apologize." He said before holding the racquet with his left hand. This time, he dribbled the ball with his right hand, making the stranger smile contently before returning behind the baseline.

**--**

"Ho?" The old man didn't hide his surprise upon learning how capable a tennis player his opponent was. Sure he expected him to be good, he would've never asked for a hit otherwise. However, he didn't expect him, the middle school student, to be playing at such a high calibre. At his young age, he could actually be beating some of the pros out there.

The old man quickly returned the ball back to the boy's backhand side, but arched a brow when the lad took only two steps before effortlessly returning it. This time, it was Tezuka's turn to give it to his backhand.

The salt and pepper haired man dashed agilely to the other side, making contact with the ball just in time. His trained eyes immediately noticed that the ball was still spinning even when it was in contact with his racquet. // This move, eh? What a lazy fellow. // He smirked again, before sending the shot to the opposite corner of the court. He was not surprised when the ball suddenly curved into the bespectacled boy's hit zone.

Tezuka only needed one step this time, as the ball automatically sailed towards his direction. Although the ball went exactly where he wanted it to be, the tennis captain was slightly taken by the power of the old man's return. It was enough to make him take a step back. Thinking quickly, he hit the ball straight while trying to put as much spin on it as he possibly can. He was intent on making his opponent run.

The old man grinned. Yes, the boy could be great. If...

Grinning widely, the old man twirled the racquet in his palm. Rather than the gut of his racquet, it was the frame that made perfect contact with the ball.

"There you go. See if that comes back to you." He said, the haughty smirk still in place as he watched the ball fly straight, its spin completely nullified.

And just like that, the old stranger had sealed the Tezuka zone. Although surprised, the stoic boy still managed to make a quick run to catch and return the ball to the other side. Again he was taken aback when the stranger approached the net and caught the ball with his hand as it flew in mid-air.

"Okay, okay. That should be enough for today. Consider it your win." The stranger declared gaily. Too gaily in fact, that Tezuka arched a brow in question.

"Why?" The teen asked, thoroughly perplexed by the strangers actions.

" 'Why', he says." The old man muttered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He then curled his index finger to motion the boy to come closer. Once Tezuka was nearer, the old man raised his racquet and used its head to poke the boy's shoulder.

"Hurts , don't it?"

The bespectacled boy merely kept silent.

"Che, this is why I say we're slowly using our youth. You younguns these days take everything too seriously." The man lectured. He took his racquet into his other hand so that he could extend his right one to the boy.

"What's your name boy?" The man asked.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu." The boy answered, bowing before taking the man's outstretched hand.

"Pleased, to meet you Tezuka Kunimitsu-kun. Ishikawa Kenji." The old man said before giving the hand in his clasp a firm shake.

"Ishikawa?" The bespectacled boy repeated, his eyes wider by a few millimetres upon realization.

The old man let out his trademark wheezy laugh. This boy was certainly different. "What? No asking for my autograph. I was waiting for your jaw to drop. Honestly, it's like I didn't even win those four slams." The old man teased.

Tezuka merely cleared his throat. "It's an honour to make your acquaintance."

The old legend raised a brow. So it seems the boy was born on the wrong era.

Shaking it off, the man said, "Say, Tezuka Kunimitsu-kun, do you know what turns greatness into failure?" to which the boy responded with the shaking of his head.

"Changing the spelling." Ishikawa Kenji revealed, to which Tezuka Kunimitsu reacted with a blank stare. Were those crickets he heard chirping in broad daylight?

The salt and pepper haired man arched a brow. "It was a joke, boy. Has anyone ever told you to lighten up?" He asked.

So many names instantly came up in the impassive boy's mind that he decided to remain silent instead.

"Ah, never mind. What was I saying?" The old man said whilst snapping his fingers. "Ah, yes. The difference," he recalled.

The old man took the pair of spectacles off his face and wiped the lenses clean with the bottom of his shirt. Amber eyes pierced through impassive hazel ones.

"One. Bad. Decision." The old man revealed. He raised his spectacles up in the air to inspect if it was cleaned thoroughly before putting it back on.

"You are a rare piece of talent, Tezuka Kunimitsu-kun. One that comes perhaps once every ten years..." The tennis great continued as he walked over to the bench to put his racquet back inside his bag.

"You, boy, are privileged to even have a choice. There are some who aren't even lucky enough to be granted that opportunity," The old man closed the zipper of his bag before turning around to face the young lad once again. "You definitely have the capacity to be great. That much I can vouch for. So I sincerely hope you don't start making bad decisions before you're even up there."

The gravity of the man's stare, it was crushing, yet at the same time, Tezuka Kunimitsu could sense something beneath the man's grave, ochre eyes. At the bottom of the amber pools something resembled a sorrowful solemnity.

"You said there are those who have been denied the chance to choose. What do you mean by that?" The placid boy asked.

The salt and pepper haired man picked his bag up from the bench and slid his arms under the straps. He put a hand in his pocket and fished a piece of paper out.

"Well, there are also those who possess the drive, and the talent; those who have all the qualities to become great, but would always be bound to being just short of extraordinary by circumstances they cannot control."

"Those that I like to call the 'Tragic Case'." There was a certain darkness to the man's words despite having that crinkled smile plastered on his face. The tennis legend stretched his arm towards the boy to hand him the piece of paper. "I'm supposed to be visiting my daughter today you see, but I'm afraid I don't know my way around this town'a yours."

The man scratched the back of his head before producing a sheepish grin. "Maybe, you can show this geezer the way and in exchange I'll tell you a story that might answer your question better?" He asked.

Tezuka walked back to where his bag was, put his racquet in before picking it up and slinging it on his shoulders. He went back to where the man stood before taking the piece of paper from his hands.

Now knowing the man's identity, he was definitely certain it was their first personal encounter. He could therefore not explain the déjà vu he felt after reading the address on the strip. Perhaps it was because...

"A friend of mine lives on this street. It isn't that far a walk. About 20 minutes at the most," said the boy, pushing his glasses up by the bridge before pocketing the piece of paper. Inwardly he contemplated on whether he knew the address or not. Not one to assume without sufficient evidence, he decided he'd find out soon enough.

"After you then," the former tennis great said.

**--**

"I guess I should start from the very beginning." The old man said as he towed behind the silent boy.

"See, I had two pupils a while back..."

Upon the opening statement of the story, the tennis captain already had a brow arched.

"What? Just because I was a pro doesn't mean I pursued coaching as a career. If you should know, I was very selective in choosing the people I teach. I search for the diamonds in the rough... like you. Even when my closest friends ask, if to my eyes they don't shine, I turn 'em down, flat out."

The bespectacled boy nodded his head, turning a corner while the old man went off-tangent.

"Ah, that's not important. Anyway, as I was saying... So these two pupils of mine. They were prodigies I tell ya! Both had amazing insight; grasped everything in one go; lightning fast reflexes, everything. You could tell they were born naturally gifted!" He recalled.

His enthusiasm quickly vanished when a small frown appeared on the seasoned man's face. "Pity though. Only one of them was truly passionate about the sport."

One brow on the stoic boy's face arched. "Then why did your other pupil even take up the sport if he wasn't in the first place?" He asked.

The old man smiled. "To make me happy I guess. See, this other one, she's my granddaughter." He revealed, smiling sentimentally.

"Ever since she was a baby, I knew, you know? So as soon as she could hold a racket I insisted on teaching her. She easily agreed of course, she's a good kid."

"I thought, "In time it'll come". I showed her every trick in my arsenal; anything and everything I thought would inspire her. But I never saw that sparkle in her eyes."

"A few years later I took on another pupil. He possessed the same level of athleticism and intellect. And in his eyes I found the passion I so wished my grandchild's would reflect."

The two turned right around another corner, both paying very little attention to their surroundings; the young lad engrossed in the story that the old man was very occupied in telling.

"I guess you could say his drive was contagious. More precisely, it was the trigger. It didn't take long until my granddaughter realized tennis really just wasn't the right sport for her. Soon she decided to look for something she too could be as passionate about."

"Can't say I wasn't a little disappointed. But at the same time I felt a bit proud. My only grandchild, at such a young age she knew she was made for something else."

"She tried out so many things after that, other sports, music. She was good at all of them, since she was a quick learner. Oh, she was never good with arts though, she's really terrible with drawing."

The bespectacled boy cleared his throat, subtly reminding the older man he had a story to finish.

"Ah, sorry. Where was I? Ah, yes."

"So she tried all sorts of things, and finally one morning she calls me and tells me she's found it. It was another sport, in a way it's similar to tennis. I couldn't be happier. It was something I could support and help her with."

"I did some research about it and helped her with training her fitness and overall athleticism. She got a real coach and a few months later she was joining tournaments and bringing trophies home."

"Everyone thought the same thing: She will be great." The man said with a reminiscent smile.

He pushed his glasses up and a brief moment later the smile was gone.

"I don't really like getting into details about this, so I guess I'll skip to the important part."

The bespectacled boy nodded in acquiescence.

"Well, she was just training one day and, oddly, she was missing every single shot. It was like her timing had severely been thrown off. Before that, her parents also got calls from her teachers saying they thought she was struggling a lot in school lately, which was strange since she's one of them good students."

"So obviously both her parents and I did a little investigating and we never expected the problem to be so... well... severe."

Tezuka's brows furrowed in confusion upon seeing the old man stop to turn and face him.

"You boy, are lucky." The man said, pointing his index to the Tezuka's shoulder. "That injury... Easily curable if you act on it now."

The man tore his gaze away from the younger man as he looked up at the morning sky.

"No wonder she was so bad at drawing..." He muttered softly, as though he was talking to himself.

The old man let out a heavy sigh before looking the teen in the eye once more.

"My granddaughter, my precious gem..."

He paused, massaging the area between his furrowed brows.

"She's going blind."

**--**

"Reiko-chi, won't you wait up?" The tennis prodigy pleaded teasingly as he ran behind said girl.

Face still flushed—not from the exercise—Reiko shut her eyes tightly and shook her head before increasing her pace, intent on running away from the embarrassment.

"Mou, would it make you feel better if I tell you that you make me feel the same way?" The brown-haired boy continued. The chuckle at the end of his sentence was impossible even for a ninety year old missing a hearing aid to miss.

"AH! SHUT IT!" She screamed, thoroughly embarrassed. Blushing harder the raven decided to kick into fifth gear and burst into a sprint. Looking ahead, she found she was approaching the intersection of the main road and was relieved to find the pedestrian light was green. At least some form of technology was working in her favour.

"Reiko." Fuji's warning voice called from behind.

Not paying him any attention the raven decided to push on. Just as she put a foot on the road she felt a strong hand grip her wrist while an arm wrapped itself around her upper torso, pulling her back and trapping her in place.

A split second later a bus zoomed past, just missing the foot she had on the road by, well, a foot.

She could feel his heart pounding on her back, the heat from his breath as he breathed heavily behind her.

"Strike two." The tennis prodigy muttered between broken breaths. "Are you sure you were taught how to cross the road properly?"

Wide-eyed and mouth ajar, Reiko stammered. "I-it was green!" She protested pointing to the traffic light. And as if on cue, the ticker on the pedestrian light clicked just as it turned the to spoken color.

Suddenly she seemed lost, her face severely confused.

"Yes, now it's green." Fuji said. He turned the partially stiff Reiko around so that she was facing him. "Are you okay? I'm sure that gave you quite a shock."

She nodded hastily as she delivered an unconvincing "yes". She took in a deep breath before looking up to face the brown-haired boy. "All good," she told him.

Fuji gave her half a smile as he brushed the raven locks that fell on her flushed face behind her ears. "Would you like to head back now? We can walk this time." He suggested, extending his hand to hers.

"Y-yeah." She replied, still looking partially distraught. She took the hand he offered and held onto it as they silently walked back home.

After a few minutes had gone, the raven went back to normal and the silence was interrupted by a faint chuckle. The raven looked blankly to her side and found the brown-haired boy with a hand on his mouth, obviously trying to subdue his quiet laughter.

"What?" The clueless Reiko asked, squeezing his hand a tad tighter.

Fuji merely tilted his head to the side and grinned wider.

"What is it?" She asked again, irritated.

"I'd rather not say." The tennis prodigy replied mischievously.

Reiko stopped in her tracks, her face now visibly annoyed. "Seriously, if you don't tell me I'm going to beat it out of you." She threatened.

"With one hand?" The tennis prodigy questioned, finally raising the hand which she still held.

Her cheeks were suddenly red again and immediately she withdrew her hold. Both embarrassed and annoyed, she stalked off grumbling curses.

Fuji immediately caught up and took her hand again. "Saa. That's why I said I would rather not tell you. I knew you would misunderstand and react this way."

She opened her mouth to protest but he had cut her off before she could speak.

"I wasn't laughing to tease or make fun of you, Reiko." He began, all traces of playfulness in his face gone. "To be honest, I am very happy. Even though you were only doing it subconsciously, I am very glad that you're comfortable with holding my hand, with being so close. I guess I was so overwhelmed by happiness I ended up laughing." He confessed rather forwardly, making the raven's already flushed face turn a deeper shade of red.

The words he said, they tickled her ears, yet at the same time...

// I promised, I wouldn't disappoint. Not myself. Not anyone. //

A small frown formed on the raven's lips and she hid it by looking down. "I wish you wouldn't be this easily pleased, because that would mean you would also be so easily disappointed." She mumbled faintly.

// I should really tell him. //

Finally she looked up, her grip on his hand much tighter and the look on her face now different. Her amber eyes were sombre yet obscure.

"I—"

"Reiko?" A voice suddenly interrupted, causing both teens to turn around. The two were surprised to find who it was that called on the raven's name.

"Ojii-san?!" The raven exclaimed in disbelief.

"Ara! Fuji-kun?"

"Kenji-sensei?"

" 'Ojii-san'?" A baritone voice interrupted. Tezuka Kunimitsu's face was definitely a few expressions short of stoic, verging more on being shocked. Yes, cool, calm and collected; shock-proof Tezuka has totally been destroyed.

"Tezuka-san?"

"Tezuka?"

Both the raven and the tennis prodigy chorused.

"You know him?" The seasoned tennis veteran asked. It was impossible to miss the horrified expression on the old man's face when three teens nodded in confirmation.

The old man slapped his head.

"Oh boy."

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Ahahah... What have I done? I guess we'll see in the next chapter. (Though it really shouldn't come as _that big_ a shock, since I've actually put very _(very)_ sutble hints early on... Or maybe they were only obvious to me since I was the one giving them... eheh!)

Would also just like you all to know, this isn't just some random spontaneous idea I thought of while working on this chapter. This was actually part of the story plan I made before I even published the first chapter. What I had trouble the most is trying to 'ease' it into the story. There's just sooo much to tell that I sometimes feel I'll turn it into a drag. Anyway...

Spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes or any mistake [;p] in general, please don't hesitate to notify me.

Lastly, shout-outs to all the anonymous reviewers...

**yappi666-** Well, here you go. I hope... well I could only hope after this update...

**Love in Snow-** I'm not sure if I've replied to your review since I think I sent out my review replies (via PM system) before I got yours? Anyway, thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I'm not sure if you still like it after now so I'll stick to past tense. Ehehe! Thanks.

**Death-Key-** Thanks, same goes... I'm glad you 'liked' it... hoping you still do. 'Cherry Juice'? Never heard of it. I'll have to look it up since I've made Fuji and Tezuka seem like characters from that manga.

**fanfic addict anonymous XP-** I'm reaaaaaaally sorry for the super delayed reply. I'm glad you didn't find the orange too 'un-orange- like. Ahaha! I did actually draw the chibi pics of her and Fuji. I took them down because I posted a 'new and improved' drawing of Rei and in that one it was the 'old' version. I may put it back up along with some other stuff I drew when I was procrastinating for my exams a month ago. I hope you still like this story after what I've 'done' to it. Ahehehe! See ya in the next chap! I hope.

**angelazabini-** Um, I guess this explains why 'tough Rei' is MIA right now... Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope (crosses fingers) you like this update.

I'd also like to thank all those people who PMd me asking me to update. It kind of reminded me that there are still some people who are interested in this story despite the many blunders I've probably put it in it.

So there you go guys. If it's not too selfish, I'd like to ask you all to please keep an open mind and not judge the story based solely on this chapter. Thanks! :)


	29. Taking Chances

**Author's note: **

First of all, sorry for the delay. I know I said this chapter was supposed to be up by March 13, but as much as I'd like to convince everyone that that date was a typo and that I actually meant it to come out by the 14th, that's not what happened. Thanks to the recent Melbourne storms and a public transportation system that never fails to, well, fail, I kind of got sick... well, not "kind of" because I really did... and as uncool as that sounds, that's the reason why I ended up being slightly behind schedule.

Another important thing I'd like to say is that this chapter is written with events at different settings happening simultaneously. I hope you don't find the sudden setting changes confusing.

Anyway... Here you go. Chapter 29. Hope I did alright.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

Taking Chances

* * *

_**--**_

_"__Tezuka-san? | Tezuka?" Both the raven and the tennis prodigy chorused._

_"__You know him?" The seasoned tennis veteran asked. It was impossible to miss the horrified expression on the old man's face when three heads nodded in confirmation._

_The old man slapped his head._

_"__Oh boy"_

**--**

**--**

**--**

_"Sensei?"_

_"__I had two pupils a while back…"_

_"__Kenji-sensei…"_

_"__My granddaughter, my precious gem…"_

_ "_… _she's going blind."_

He could hear nothing but the tolling of these words in his head, they rang, louder and louder, until he could no longer bear it, until he was deafened by the truth, until he was lost in what could only make sense.

"Tezuka-san," a voice called.

But he was impervious to the his surroundings at that moment; to the cold gust of the autumn wind, to the slight screech of the metal door scraping against the concrete floor... even to the meek voice that called on his name.

What was it he felt? He was a man good at keeping his emotions in check, even leading many to believe he had none. He always believed that letting loose of your emotions would only lead to illogical thinking and irrationality. Standing everyday on this very spot, looking down and watching the people go about their ways below, he'd been a witness to that a plenty number of times. But now, so many emotions kept gushing out; pity, betrayal… Despair? The reins on his emotions were beginning to come loose.

_"__Yudan sezu ni ikou"_  
Had he not told himself that countless times? And yet here he stood now, on the verge of destroying the foundation he'd built his walls upon. The mask of indifference was slipping.

Ignorance truly was bliss. Disappointment was the cost of being no fool.

"Tezuka-san?" a second call came.

A slender finger tapped lightly on his shoulder.

Finally realization

He pushed himself off from the rooftop's railings and turned himself around, greeting amber eyes filled with hesitation and uncertainty.

**--The Previous Day--**

Hasegawa Hiromi stood on the edge of her toes as she reached for the container of flour sitting on the top shelf of the kitchen pantry. Finally getting the bottom of the jar to sit on the tips of her fingers, she pulled it a few centimetres at a time until it sat steadily on the palm of her hand. She gripped it securely, cautiously bringing it down before uncapping the lid. She was about to pour some of the fluffy white substance on a large stainless bowl when the gentle click of the front door caught her ear.

"Reiko? Is that you honey?" Mrs. Hasegawa called from the kitchen.

"Hai," came the response.

Realizing it was no stranger that had arrived she decided to resume the pending work in the kitchen.

"You were out quite early, dear. Did you go for a run?" she asked while her hands busied themselves with mixing the hefty amount of thick pancake batter in the bowl.

Another "hai" confirmed her assumption.

"Um, okaa-san..." the distant voice trailed. "We have a visitor."

With the new information igniting her curiosity, the middle-aged woman put the bowl down on the counter, wiped her hands on a paper towel and proceeded to head into the family room to greet the new company. She caught a glimpse of the early hour on the large kitchen clock on her way out and it made her wonder who the unknown party was.

Her eyes widened momentarily upon the pleasant surprise.

"Otou-san!" The middle-aged woman gasped, eagerly giving herself into her father's waiting arms.

Mr. Hasegawa was making his way down the stairs when he heard the unexpected announcement... And the grogginess from having just woken up drained almost instantaneously.

"Where?!" He cried aloud, his far too shaken up to hide the panic in his voice.

The salt and pepper haired man briefly looked up the flight of stairs only to find a rather distraught looking son-in-law. "Pleasure seeing you too, Ryu," the man said, saturating his greeting with evident sarcasm. He quickly returned his attention to his only daughter, with the look on his face equalling that of an angry preacher about to deliver a sermon.

"Hiromi, you could've done so much better," he bleated, clearly voicing his disappointment. "Of all men, why a lousy, lazy, good for noth—"

"Otou-san!" The disapproving look on the woman's usually serene face was enough to silence the tennis veteran. "Be nice, it's far too early in the morning to pick a fight."

Not too pleased with being told off by his own daughter, Ishikawa Kenji let out stubborn "Hmph!" before deciding to let it pass.

The sudden role reversal never ceased to amuse Reiko. It was the same scene every time; Her grandfather picking on her father upon every chance encounter, her mother assuming the adult post for intervention, and her father's reverting to a scared schoolboy upon the slightest mention of anything relating to her grandfather. It always ended with her wondering if there would come a time in the future when she would find a legitimate excuse to reprimand her dad.

"Well, anyone who is up for pancakes can follow me to the dining room." Mrs. Hasegawa announced, smiling with satisfaction when their home suddenly turned quiet. Sure she only had one daughter, but the experience of having her father and husband around for years taught her how to effectively break up a children's fight.

**--Meanwhile, in the Fuji Residence--**

Fuji Syuusuke had a hand under his chin, deep in thought as he leaned on the door behind him. The unshakeable memory of Reiko's panic-stricken face when she found his former coach, her grandfather earlier that morning was certainly disconcerting.

// Something is going on. // He suspected inwardly.

"Syuusuke, is that you?" A feminine voice called from the dining area.

Perking his head up, the tennis prodigy put a smile on his face, deciding to put the thought to rest for now before tracing the direction of the voice.

"Hai, Onee-san. I'm back," He answered, his figure stopping at the dining room's open entrance.

His eyes made a quick sweep around the room and found that the table had already been set and the food patiently waited on the table. His sister sat on a dining chair, but instead of a plate holding a slice of omelette, a rather large laptop sat open in front of her.

"How was your run?" inquired the older sister.

"It was good," he answered, making his sister raise a brow at the enigmatic smile he continued to keep.

Knowing her brother all too well, she decided not to delve in the matter any further. After all, who would want to participate in a game that only guarantees your defeat?

"I received a call from the head office prior to your return. It seems they require my presence. Will you mind if we talk business as we eat?"

At this, the tables turned. Now it was he who wore curiosity on his face. He paused for a thought before shrugging his shoulders. "I really don't mind, but shouldn't you rest first Onee-san? You haven't slept in more than 30 hours. I'm sure you can find someone to proxy you."

Yumiko shook her head. "Yes, it is easy enough to find someone to sit the meeting for me, but I'd like to take this opportunity to present your marketing plan to the board."

Syuusuke crossed his arms before leaning back on his seat. Yumiko cleared her throat before leaning on the table.

"Syuusuke, I've gone over the plan, the presentation and the report. I looked at your 'proposal' in all possible angles. Although I know I shouldn't be surprised, I find myself still slightly astounded. Your work is genius. No holes, no flaws. It's foolproof, as should be expected."

"However, I did make a few minor changes to the presentation, but only because of the urgency." Upon hearing this, the younger Fuji arched a brow.

I'd like to present this today, if you don't mind. All the members of the board will be present in today's meeting, Otou-sama included. It will be the perfect opportunity."

Putting a hand under his chin, Syuusuke took a few more moments to contemplate on the matter. "If you think it's best, then do with it what you will. Thank you for going to such lengths for my sake, Onee-san."

"It's no trouble at all, Syuusuke. Remember, Yuuta and I are here for you whenever you need us."

"Yes, I know. And I will be forever grateful for that."

**--Back to the Hasegawa Residence--**

"So..." Mr. Hasegawa started. "What brings you here today, Otou-san?" The middle-aged man asked, staring up nervously before taking a sip of his coffee.

The salt and pepper haired man swallowed the slice of pancake in his mouth and put his cutlery down on his plate with an audible clang. You could almost hear the school yard fight brew.

"Do I need a reason for a visit? I simply wanted to see my two most favourite girls, since you've taken them both away from me." The old man said, mocking a pout at the end of his response.

Reiko wanted to let out a giggle as her grandfather tried to pick another one-sided fight with her father. She instead decided to let out a sigh and help her mother hold the bullying back.

"But jii-san, Tokyo is _obviously _much closer to Chiba than Osaka. So the move actually makes visiting more convenient to both parties, doesn't it?"

Again, the man let out another stubborn "Hmph", before consuming the rest of his breakfast quietly. After finishing, he stood up to deposit his dishes in the sink, his face changing to a more serious one without anyone's notice.

"I got a call back from my contact," the tennis veteran started. Upon hearing this, everyone paused from whatever they were doing and the room fell eerily silent. Only the angry gush of the cold, running water streaming through the faucet remained.

"They sent someone to watch the Fujisawa tournament..."

Everyone sat with bated breaths now, anxiously awaiting the words to come out of the tennis veteran's mouth.

Turning the tap off, Ishikawa Kenji turned around to face the family of three. Leaning back on the kitchen sink, he crossed his arms and focused his gaze on his only granddaughter. Reiko straightened her posture subconsciously when she felt the weight of her grandfather's stare.

"They were very impressed with your performance, even said they'd be 'honoured to have such talent on board'."

He pushed the square-shaped pair of spectacles by its bridge and cleared his throat before continuing. "I guess what I'm trying to say is..."

--**Fuji Group Head Quarters--**

"It's a done deal."

The Fuji Zaibatsu's main office, situated at the heart of the Ginza district, boasted 39 storeys and towered over the chain of commercial and business establishments in its surroundings. The skyscraper's exterior harmonized both tradition and innovation, elegantly standing out amidst the chaos of the business district, like a majestic palace right at the top of a hill populated by peasant's houses.

In his private office, positioned rather symbolically on the top floor of the grand edifice, Fuji Sasori stood behind the laminated, glass panel windows, observing the lively street beneath him with his hands clasped behind his back. Fuji Yumiko sat quietly on one of the black leather couches embellishing the room. Despite being well-acquainted with its commodious expanse and lavish furnishings, the dimly lit room always seemed to exude a starkly gloomy atmosphere to the fair-haired woman, contrary to the envious admiration held by many of those unaccustomed to its owner.

"Gaining unanimous approval from the board with an entirely new marketing scheme that presents no risks... Well done." The business tycoon regarded, his voice carrying its usual firmness.

Yumiko bowed her head in gratitude. "I am flattered, but if anyone is to gain credit it should be Syuusuke."

The man heavily breathed in—as though the air had a taste worth relishing—upon mention of the name "Yes, Syuusuke. How convenient it is to have been blessed with a prodigious son born with impeccable business sense. Pity he couldn't personally witness the success of his own plan."

Fuji Yumiko inwardly held back her disapproval. She knew her father was inclined to being detached, but talking about her brother like he was a mere prize for show was quite frankly, contemptuous. Instead, she let out a silent sigh. "Otou-sama, you of all people, should be aware Syuusuke's interests lie far from, _here_."

Hearing this, the boastful smile on the older man's face was instantly replaced with a frown. "Tsk. This is why I want him back in the main house."

"And this is exactly why he has come to you with this business scheme. Syuusuke is challenging you."

"A challenge?" The business tycoon repeated. The expression on his face took yet another turn, this time, to intrigue. "And would you care to enlighten me, my dear Yumiko, by elaborating more on this 'challenge' Syuusuke is presenting me."

"You may think of this as a reminder to keep your word regarding the deal both you and he made. That he is not to hear from you, nor will he be bothered by anything relating to the 'family business' until the time limit you have granted him expires. Otherwise...

"Otherwise?" The man asked, with a brow arched and a smug smirk showcased on his face. Inwardly he wondered what his son could possibly have on him.

"You should start hoping Yuuta was also born with an "impeccable business sense", or look into passing the company to someone who doesn't carry the Fuji name."

Yumiko looked her father straight in the eye and fought hard not to smirk. "But of all people, you believe the most that that task is impossible. You wouldn't have given him his name if you did not*."

Fuji Sasori let out a boisterous laugh, taking his daughter by surprise, for his laugh was neither haughty nor mocking. Instead, it held an uncharacteristic tone of genuine amusement. "That boy is a natural." He esteemed before once again turning to the view outside his window.

// This company is Syuusuke's. No one else will take it to greater heights. //

The man cleared his throat before finally complying. "Indeed... I have long since acknowledged that."

Yumiko felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips. She had long forgotten how her father's laughter sounded. It vaguely reminded her of a bright past that had been abandoned for nearly a decade.

"Well then, my dear Yumiko, if that is all, I'm afraid you will have to excuse me for cutting this meeting short. There are other matters needing my attention." The business man said. His tone held such formality it was as if it was not his daughter he was speaking to.

Taking it as her cue, Yumiko rose from her seat before bowing. "No, no. Thank you for seeing me personally... and there is no need to trouble yourself with showing me to the door." She added when she saw the man make a move towards the door.

"Very well." The man said, instead taking a seat on the black leather office chair behind the large oak desk.

The door was already half-open when her father called her attention once again.

"Yumiko?" The man called, not bothering to look away from the paperwork on his desk. "Please tell Syuusuke I give him my word."

"Certainly." She replied, with another smile playing on her lips.

Upon hearing the door click shut, Fuji Sasori finally looked up. Seeing that his office was now devoid of people, he put his pen down and let out a tired sigh. His hand instinctively found its way on a brass handle on his desk. Pulling the wine coloured drawer at the top open, he gazed longingly at its sole content, a framed photograph featuring a boy around four and a man that looked to be in his late thirties, both bearing a great resemblance. Both had brilliant azure eyes, the same honey brown hue in their hair, undone ties lying underneath the collar of their white button up shirts and shaving cream spread across both of their entire jaw line. But the most striking feature they both shared were the radiant smiles both their faces wore with ease.

His other hand then reached for the folder resting on the far right side of his desk. Placing a finger to its the edge, he paused again to let out a sigh.

"Sometimes I wonder if I still know what's good for you." With a last lingering look, he finally pushed the drawer to a close.

Turning his attention back to the file, he flipped the cover open, studied the attached photo before beginning to read the words printed boldly on top.

**--**

Hasegawa Reiko laid still on her bed that night, drowned by her thoughts. It had been a long day. How she wanted the world to stop spinning, even for just a brief moment. Everything was a risk now. She desperately searched for steady ground, but whenever she put her foot down the ground would begin to tremble.

Her eyes began to wander around her room, and eventually they were captured by a proud, golden gleam. She found herself staring intently at the collection of beaming trophies that filled an entire shelf across her bed. She could no longer remember where, when or how exactly she had gotten each of them, but she knew not one of them would've been won had it not been for the risks she took; convincing her parents to move to an entirely new city, leaving her friends behind, putting her studies and even her health on the line. For her dream, she had sacrificed so much. So why did she fear taking another risk? Why did it feel like she had nothing left to give?

Finally her gaze was torn away from the boasting trophy case when her phone buzzed as it vibrated against her side table. Reaching mechanically for it, she slid it open to bring the screen to life and found she received a new message.

_"__Something wrong? You've been staring into space for quite a while now." _The message caught her off-guard. With a blank look she turned her head to the side so she could look through the glass doors. She was greeted with a wave when she found him looking right back at her from the room across.

She cringed, and immediately brought her gaze back to her phone. She typed something briefly before pressing the 'Send' button. She smiled when she saw him read her reply.

_"__Stop stalking me, you idiot! :P" _She saw his smile widen before he keyed something into his phone again.

_"__I guess I can do that now that you're smiling."_

Her face turned a brilliant shade of red upon the message. Jumping out of her bed, she hurriedly stomped towards her window, making the tennis prodigy perk his head up in wonder. He chuckled upon seeing her almost rip her curtain off as she pulled it to a close with excessive force.

A mischievous grin played on as his fingers danced on the keypad for his final words that night. When he was done, he put his phone back down on his side table feeling very pleased with himself.

She had her back leaning on the glass as she buried her flustered face into her palm. In her head she could feel her heart beating wildly.

// What the heck was that idiot thinking?! //

She felt her phone vibrate in her hand again, and her already flushed face turned feverishly warm at what she read.

_"__Is your face red?__ :)"_

She was somewhat embarrassed to admit that she was caught. Not able to withstand anymore, she allowed herself to slump down to the floor. It was no use, she knew he could never win against him. He read her like an open book.

And she was somewhat surprised to find she didn't mind that. Suddenly she was confused again.

She was totally vulnerable, yet with him she felt safe. He knew all sides of her, yet she was not afraid of being judged.

How could he drag her so easily into his pace? How did he make her forget about all the troubles that wore her down?

Although the world refused to stop, he was able to make it slow a little.

She now realized the answer to her earlier question. Finally she understood why she couldn't take another risk. She knew now, that what she has to put on the line was no longer of her possession.

Slowly she made her way back to her bed. She sat on the edge as she dialled a few buttons on her phone. It didn't take long before someone answered on the other line.

"Hello Tezuka-san. Do you think we could meet tomorrow before school? There's a lot that I'd like to tell you."

**--Present Time--**

"Tezuka-san?" She called again, finally feeling a wave of relief wash her worries when the bespectacled boy finally turned around to face her. With all the information he most likely now knew, she wouldn't be too surprised if he had decided to ignore her and pretend like she never existed.

But he was much more mature than that. He had always been the kind of person who confronted things head on. He didn't quit when he was bullied by his upperclassmen. He didn't stop playing despite having injured his elbow. He stayed to the end, even though he knew his match with Atobe could cause permanent damage to his shoulder.

He looked into her amber eyes, and saw how hesitation and uncertainty had overshadowed the determined blaze that was always ever present. And now, as he had done so many times in the past, he neglected running away, even though he knew there was nothing waiting for him on the other end.

"Hasegawa," he finally acknowledged.

The girl looked up at him and smiled. Suddenly it felt like something was clawing on his gut. Under the bright sunlight, he caught glimpse of the subtle golden wisps that would have otherwise mesmerized those unaware.

"They're cysts." She began. She took a few steps forward and leaned on the roof top's railings, just as he was doing so before she came. "I figured you knew because of how quiet you've been." She turned her head a bit and found him with a brow arched. She flashed a knowing smile before looking up at the sky. She let out a breath before deciding to continue.

"For the time that I've been around, one of the things I noticed about you, Tezuka-san, is that you don't like speaking too much. And because, in this situation, there are too many things that need to be said, you opted instead to keep silent."

She let out a light chuckle when she saw him cross his arms. "Why do I feel like telling you everything would be _much_ easier than what I had imagined?"

It didn't take long before Tezuka took the spot beside her. A few more seconds passed before the raven-haired girl decided to continue.

"I don't want to get into complicated details. But in a nutshell, I have this rare, degenerative eye disorder that puts me at a high risk of becoming blind in the future." She could almost hear the "but" coming, so she decided to continue speaking before he had a chance. She didn't want to hear it. She needed to remain optimistic, for doubting even slightly would completely shatter her.

"But you should know that despite that, my... 'condition' isn't as bad as it sounds."

"..."

By now, she knew him well enough to know how to interpret his 'language'—or his lack of—correctly. Upon the silence, she let out an exasperated sigh. She buried her face unto her palm, feeling slightly flustered upon memory of her grandfather's careless action.

"My jii-san. He tends to, um... How do I put it... exaggerate _a lot_. He probably made it sound like all hope was lost." She managed to say, though her mouth was partially muffled.

An expectant look prompted her to continue.

"There is still a possibility I won't go completely blind. The chances are very small, but it's all I can rely on." She smiled upon hearing herself say this. And with much hope evident in her voice, she added "...and with the recent advancements in science, I feel like I _can_ hope for the better."

Her smile was weak, and she struggled to keep wearing it. "Of course, my doctors are suggesting other solutions..."

"There's always surgery. But all it does is buy me more time. It'll ultimately have the same ending in the long run. And there would never be an exact match. The chances of finding even a close one is about as small as having real, living pokemons." and this thought was all it took to take the faintest of her smiles away.

"Sorry about the poor analogy. It's all I could think of this early in the morning." She excused, scratching the back of her head. She instinctively checked her watch for the time, confirming that it was indeed too early to be at school. She extended her arms forward for a stretch and did not bother to stifle her yawn.

Tezuka merely shrugged. "It gets the point across." He said in his usual monotone.

The reaction, being so typical Tezuka, made her cough out a laugh while in 'mid-yawn'. "You know Tezuka-san, you're funny even without trying." Tezuka merely gave her a blank stare as she took a few more seconds before deciding to recompose herself.

She wiped the tear off the corner of her eye and took a few breaths before deciding to speak again. "I feel so much better now that I've told you all of this. I was expecting it to be a bit more..." She paused, fishing for an appropriate word in her mind.

"...well, for lack of a better word, 'difficult'. But surprisingly, it wasn't at all. I know I wouldn't have to ask you to keep this to yourself, because you most likely will anyway."

Another shrug. "It's not for me to tell."

And the raven's smile, even if only a little, got stronger. "You're a good friend Tezuka-san. You're the first person in this school who knows about this."

'Friend'. Whichever dictionary one might use, the word could only possess a positive definition. And yet why, when he heard her refer to him as just that, did it feel like his gut was mercilessly taking invisible blows.

Reiko didn't fail to read the atmosphere. She watched him closely, and noted how he now tried to keep himself distant by looking down to watch the people below... and how he steeled himself without even knowing it, when he subconsciously crossed his arms over his chest before he leaned them unto the railing's cold, iron bars.

She extended her hand, placing it on his arm to purposely make him look at her. "I'm sorry Tezuka."

A knowing nod was his only response.

He'd already seen it coming, and he was disappointed beyond expectation. This was reality. This was the end.

She knew an explanation was no longer necessary.

"If it's not too much to ask, I'd like for us to remain friends." Reiko asked, extending her pale white hand to him.

And though he did not say anything else, he took it without reluctance.

Both their heads pointed upward, admiring the vastness of the clear blue sky. Both allowed a comfortable silence to pass.

"By the way..." Reiko began, pulling her friend's attention away from the sky.

He watched her rummage through her bag for a few seconds before taking out a folded piece of paper. It was when she offered it to him that he realized she was giving him a brochure. He took it out of curiosity, only to raise a brow upon reading what the pamphlet was about.

"Jii-san gave it to me... Seems like that injury is more serious than how you make it look." She said, visibly displeased by his decision to downplay his injury.

A guilty silence followed.

"I know you have your reasons, but I hope you soon realize how lucky you are. What you have now you have a shot of fixing. I on the other hand..."

Another heavy breath. She didn't want to think about that now.

"I'll consider it." He said, understanding how painful the reality must be for her.

She looked him in the eye, searching for a promise. Satisfied, she smiled. "Good."

There was another brief silence, but this time, it was the bespectacled boy who chose to break it.

"You mentioned earlier that I was the first person you told about your condition..."

It was easy to tell where this conversation was headed. Soon a different smile was on her face, and its hollowness deeply unsettled him.

"Yes. Fuji doesn't know, and I have no intention of ever letting him know."

**--**

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XXXXXXXX

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*_The kanji of Fuji's given name, Syuusuke, stands for "peerless" or "unparalleled". Hope this explains what Yumiko and their dad was talking about when they started to talk about Fuji's 'name'._

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**Author's Note****:**_  
_

I know, kinda short compared to the previous chapters. Thanks for reading it anyway. If you have time please review. I'd be delighted to hear about how much my writing sucks or how low you think my standards have gone. God knows I really tried, but I'm still having some difficulty with expressing my thoughts. That pretty much explains the lack of a flow. I guess I've lost my touch, not that I was anywhere near good to begin with... What I'm trying to say is... anyone wanna be my beta?


	30. Letter to the Public

Author's Note: Good News, Bad News

To the readers,

I'd just like to apologize for the epic long hiatus! Just would like everyone to know, I am definitely planning to finish the story! I started writing this just before I entered university, and it looks like it will be finishing around the same time I will be graduating from my undergraduate degree! Anyway,, expect the 30th Chapter to be out within the month of September! Hopefully people are still reading this!

Unfortunately I have some bad news for those people who are also reading Deciphering an Enigma, my other story. I have decided to discontinue it as I have lost interest in the plot. Honestly, I don't know where I was headed with that story. I might keep it on ffnet instead of deleting it, in the future case where someone becomes interested in picking it up (i.e. it's up for 'adoption'). I will however, be writing another Tezuka story. I'm really excited to write it actually! I've thought about the story a lot, and it's almost completed. haha!

Anyway, sorry for disappointing you all. Hopefully I can make it up to you in the coming updates!  
- Snow


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